The Contract
by Desi44
Summary: When Klaus Mikaelson, CEO of Mikaelson & Co., needs a wife to remain in the US, he turns to the best friend of his best friend and the games begin. This is a Klaroline story but with lots of love with Stefan, Kol and Katherine, too! Rated M for later chapters.
1. Chapter 1

"You know, when I dreamed of my glamorous New York life, eating Chinese takeout straight from the carton at 9:30pm on a Friday night wasn't exactly what I pictured," Caroline huffed while searching through several containers before finally locating her steamed fish. The Chief of Staff and Chief Investment Officer of Mikaelson & Co. had been relegated to the private conference room adjoining the CEO's office for over an hour, discussing their top secret project.

"Really?" Stefan replied while unsuccessfully attempting to raise the lo mein to his mouth using chopsticks. "Spending Friday night with your best friend isn't what you had in mind?"

Narrowing her eyes and giving Stefan a tight smile, Caroline replied, "You know, you're right. Why am I complaining about spending yet another Friday night in the office, eating crappy, artery clogging take-out just so I can play matchmaker for my demented, ego-maniacal boss? I mean, I'm living the dream, right?"

"Come on, Care, you know this has to get done and we are the only people he trusts to handle it. Especially when you consider that his own father is probably responsible for his Visa renewal paperwork mysteriously vanishing. If Klaus doesn't get married in the next 2 months, he has to go back to London."

Caroline looked away and adopted a wistful, dreamy expression. "Can you imagine how wonderful that would be?" she sighed. "Klaus, an ocean away…"

"Need I remind you that your job would relocate along with Klaus. The IPO would blow up…and let's not even think about how much your stock would probably be devalued with this kind of shake up."

Caroline had to concede the point. She had a significant amount of money tied up in the firm and could not afford to lose a dime of it. She had a plan and strict timeline; she would not allow Klaus's current situation to impact her dream.

As the two continued their discussion, Klaus noiselessly entered his office and seated himself at his desk. He knew he was beyond fashionably late and that Caroline would likely skin him as soon as she saw him but he couldn't miss the opportunity to engage in one of his favorite pastimes - eavesdropping. After knowing Stefan and, through Stefan, Caroline for so many years, he was able to visualize the exchange with ease. And, truth be told, he rarely missed an opportunity to infuriate Caroline…

Caroline looked back at Stefan just in time to witness yet another failed attempt with the chopsticks. Frowning, Caroline tossed him a plastic fork and muttered, "you're such a 5 year old."

Stefan gave her an appreciative nod before scooping up a heaping amount of noodles, which barely fit in his mouth. "Thw waster wem gut tuss dom, da butta."

Rolling her eyes and handing him a napkin, "Jeez, you aren't much better with a fork, are you? You look like an animal."

"I'm starving," he replied defensively, "I haven't eaten since this morning because Klaus and I were in back to back meetings for the Kimbay deal."

Klaus sucked in a breath, knowing the ire that comment was sure to produce. He quietly rose from his desk and moved closer into the conference room to get the view offered by the sliver of a crack of the door leading into his office. Klaus had a good vantage of Stefan's profile but he was disappointed to note that Caroline's back was to him. However, as much as he enjoyed watching her expressive face, he knew he would be equally entertained with her ever-effusive gesticulations. He saw her shoulders go rigid at Stefan's last comment.

As soon as he mentioned the deal, Stefan realized his folly. After dreaming up the idea of Mikaelson & Co. purchasing the Chinese asset management firm, burning the midnight oil conducting painstaking research, Caroline was being pushed aside. She was unable to attend the initial meetings between the two camps as her time was otherwise occupied ensuring Klaus Mikaelson, aka the CEO of Mikaelson & Co., aka her boss, aka her nemesis, would not be deported due to the mismanagement of his visa renewal.

"Don't you dare complain to me, Salvatore," Caroline warned, pointing her chopsticks at him aggressively, making Klaus smirk at her histrionics. "While you and Klaus were taking the reigns of the deal I sourced, I was confined to a conference room with Connor Jordan - that creepy, tatted-up PI Klaus keeps around for background checks and probably other unsavory things I don't even care to think about. I feel like I need a shower after compiling profiles on these women that only a madam could appreciate," she huffed, gesturing to the bound presentations, meticulously arranged in the center of the table.

Glancing at the dossiers, Klaus suppressed a chuckle – that is so Caroline. The profiles were probably alphabetized, color-coded – no detail overlooked. Always the perfectionist he thought, his eyes taking in the small glimpse of her profile as she looked at Stefan. She was dressed in her signature attire: pencil shirt, silk collared shirt…not a wrinkle or crease. Her blonde, wavy hair was trained into a tight bun, replete with several pens shoved precariously into the knot. This was one of many small tells into Caroline's moods. Klaus was probably one of a handful of people who knew that Caroline's level of stress was generally equivalent to the number of writing utensils that lay haphazardly on top of the crown of her head. And judging by the current array left forgotten in her mane, Klaus mused, Caroline was at her wit's end…

"Again, Care, you know how private," Stefan began.

"Paranoid…," Caroline interjected. Klaus glowered.

"Whatever you want to call it. Anyway, you know that there are only two people Klaus would ever entrust with this task," he said gesturing between the two of them, "and as his Chief Investment Officer, I have to be included in all of the Kimbay dealings, which, as frustrating as I know it is, leaves you to be the Millionaire Matchmaker."

Promptly losing her appetite due to her frustration, Caroline shoved her food to the side and searched through the bag to retrieve a fortune cookie. She cracked the sweet in half and set the fortune aside without thought. She took one bite and continued to whine, "why can't we just set up a dating profile on eHarmony or, oooh, even better, let's set up a profile on okcupid."

Stefan just smiled and shook his head, equally entertained by her enthusiasm at the idea and anxious about how far she would take it.

Laying a hand on his arm to get him to face her again she continued, "Seriously, Stef, just think of the time it would save." From his perch at the door, Klaus was unable to remove his focus from where the small hand lay resting on his best friend. "I mean, we'll just create a profile that reads, 'Megalomaniac CEO in search of vapid Barbie Doll willing to be carted around like a show pony for a year and then, summarily dumped,'" she said gesticulating with her hands like she was picturing a sign on a marquis. She focused back on her friend with a huge smile on her face, "I think it could work."

With Caroline facing away from him, Klaus took this opportunity to quietly open the door and, with his usual grace, silently positioned himself behind Caroline's chair. "And how does your profile read, sweetheart? 'Neurotic control freak looking for small-town, masochistic whipping boy?" Caroline tensed with surprise at the sound of his voice. He quickly moved around the small table and took a seat across from her, watching as the wild blush bloomed across her face. Picking up one of the dossiers, "Alright. If you two ladies are done with your girl talk, can we begin?"

Rolling her eyes, "So nice of you to finally join us." Passing a copy of the profiles to Stefan and opening to the first page, "I've winnowed the original list down to 10 candidates. We can start with Sarah Ambrose – she's 30, Yale grad, worked briefly at Merrill and is currently a panelist on MSNBC's Quick Money."

After a brief review of her information, Stefan asked, "And why would she agree to marry Klaus?"

"Well, word is that she really wants to take Jim Robert's spot on Market Review. The producers don't really see her as a draw because she lacks name recognition. What could be a better solution than changing her name to 'Mikaelson'?"

Stefan gave an appreciative nod. "I like it. Klaus?"

Looking across the table, Caroline saw Klaus reading the file, his face impassive. After a pregnant silence, he tossed the profile on the table and replied with a simple, "no."

"What do you mean 'no'?," Caroline asked, noticeably perturbed.

Leaning back in his chair and offering Caroline a challenging glare, "I mean no. Next." Klaus reached back to the file and quickly turned the page. Stefan mimicked this motion while Caroline continued to stare at Klaus, infuriated by his response.

"Why not? " Caroline pressed. "She's perfect. She's educated, interesting… You have several acquaintances in common which would help with the back story of how you met…"

"I find her…unappealing," Klaus replied simply.

"What?" Caroline asked in surprise. She pulled out the headshot, which was easily attained from the MSNBC studios. Caroline studied the photo. Sarah Ambrose was quite attractive with striking almond-shaped green eyes, long, curly auburn hair and a broad, straight smile. "I think she's very attractive," she argued.

Taking the picture from her hands, "Well, sweetheart, I'm sure she would be the bell of the ball back in, where is it," Klaus looked briefly at Stefan, pretending to search for a name, "Mystic Falls?" Caroline glowered at his mention of her hometown as he continued, "but in New York she is a 5. And I would not date, much less marry, a 5."

Caroline clenched her jaw, fighting back the urge to reach across the table to wipe the smug expression off of Klaus's face. From the moment they met, Klaus had to unique ability to bring Caroline right to the brink physical violence.

"Fine. I guess the next candidate will be more suited to your tastes. Valentina Diaz. You may recognize her from the cover of virtually every _Sports Illustrated _and _Victoria's Secret _catalogue for the past 3 years. She's Argentinian but she was born in the US and has dual citizenship. She wants to transition into acting and, as M & Co.'s mezz fund is heavily invested in one of the top production companies in Hollywood, Klaus could make her a star."

Klaus raised his eyebrows and gave Caroline an expectant look, indicating he expected her to continue.

"What?" Caroline huffed.

"What else can you tell us about her?" Stefan asked.

"Does it really matter? He's looking for a '10' and Miss Diaz certainly fills that requirement."

Klaus gave Caroline a condescending smile. "You are getting warmer, love, but I am afraid that, once again, I have to say 'no'."

"Why? She's everything a superficial narcissist could dream of!"

"Well, love, you see I've already had the good fortune of being acquainted with Miss Diaz." Looking like the definition of smug he added, "and sweetheart, she's an 8 at best."

Stefan could not contain his laugh but quickly stopped when he turned to see Caroline seething.

Two hours passed and they we no closer to a decision. Caroline and Klaus were engaged in a vociferous battle while Stefan began nodding off at the head of the table.

"What do you mean 'pass'?" Caroline shrieked, waving the file in his direction. "This is our last candidate and she's everything you could want. She's the president of a hedge fund, and like you, she went to business school at Stern. You have multiple friends in common, you've been photographed together on several occasions… And I defy you to tell me this woman is unattractive," she said waving the woman's photo in his face. "She's everything you could want in a woman – hell, I'd marry her!" she huffed.

Klaus chuckled. "That's an interesting choice of words, Caroline, as I believe she would be more inclined to marry you than me."

Defeated and exhausted, Caroline rubbed her weary eyes. "What are you talking about?"

Klaus reached across the table and plucked on of the many pens Caroline had tucked into her bun. "She likes women, sweetheart. Shall I draw you a picture?"

Caroline tossed her file on the table and pushed her chair from the table, producing a terrible squeak that drew Stefan from his slumber.

"I don't know what you want, Klaus. I've given you a broad range of women – all successful, accomplished, most are ivy league educated and, despite what you've stated, attractive. How is it possible that a not one woman of what could be considered the most eligible women in the US is up to your standards? I don't understand."

Locking his eyes with her and leaning in Klaus said in a low voice, "It's ok, love," he said placing his hand over hers and giving it a quick squeeze. "I don't expect you to understand having standards."

Caroline went rigid and she jerked her hand from his grasp. "I wish you and incurable disease," she breathed.

"Which one?" Klaus asked, as usual, amused by her impudence.

"Pick one," Caroline growled, glaring at him.

Stefan chose that moment to awaken and interrupt before the two came to blows. "Come on, it's late and we absolutely must come to a decision tonight. Let's go over the basics, again, and maybe we can move forward from there." He turned to Caroline, "Why don't you explain how you chose these candidates and then we can assess how we should move forward."

Caroline took a deep breath before beginning, "I have been looking for someone both INS and Klaus's family and acquaintances will find a believable match. She must be accomplished in her field, educated because he is a school snob." Klaus attempted to protest but Caroline ignored him and continued, "he's shallow and superficial so she has to be attractive. He also needs someone we can prove he has had interactions with in the past. INS may ask for photos, emails and phone records and every one of the 10 women I chose had some kind of interaction with Klaus. And, finally, each woman would likely agree to marry Klaus and maintain this ruse for a year because he has something he can offer to each. Whether it's the power of his last name, business contacts, money… If incentivized properly, any of these women would agree to this ruse. " Caroline turned her hard gaze on Klaus, "if it's one thing you've taught us, Klaus, it's that everyone has a price."

Klaus fingered the files in front of him as the corners of his mouth turned up. "And what, sweet Caroline, is your price?"

Caroline huffed, "There isn't enough money in the world. Right Stef?" She turned to her friend expecting him to back her up. I mean, there is being desperate and then there is selling your soul to the devil. "Stef?"

Stefan stared at the table in deep consideration as if it was offering answers. "It's actually not a terrible idea, Care."

Caroline's face fell. "You can't possibly think this is even a possibility?"

Stefan finally met her gaze, "well, just think about it – you do meet all of the criteria you just laid out." Using his fingers to enumerate each point, "you're the Chief of Staff at one of the top financial institutions in the world, you went to Harvard and then Columbia for b-school, you've known Klaus for years…"

"I only met him because you studied abroad for a semester," Caroline stuttered, completely taken aback by Stefan's argument.

"It doesn't matter. The only thing that is important is that we can prove that you and Klaus have known each other for several years. You are not only familiar with his family but you even stayed with them one Christmas…"

Caroline, still shell-shocked that Stefan was even humoring Klaus in what she suspected was yet another attempt of his to infuriate her, quickly countered, "That was, like 7 or 8 years ago and, again, I was only in London to see you and I spent my entire break trying to avoid him!"

Ignoring the interruption, Stefan continued, now counting off each reason on his fingers "the fact remains that his entire family knows you, you interned for his brother's firm, are close with his sister-in-law…"

Again Caroline interjected, her voice becoming increasingly high pitched and desperate, "Klaus had nothing to do with my internship with Elijah's firm. If memory serves" Caroline ranted, pointing an accusatory finger in Klaus's direction, "he tried to talk Elijah out of hiring me. And as for my relationship with Katherine, well, one of the cornerstones of our friendship is our mutual dislike of Klaus. We've even started a club, written a charter…hell, we even have a handshake!"

Stefan could not help but laugh at Caroline's outburst. And, truth be told, considering neither his best friend nor Katherine were known for being reticent in their distaste for Klaus, a man who caused Caroline more than enough stress at work and in her personal life and who lead an unsuccessful attempt to talk Elijah out of marrying Katherine, he did not have a doubt in his mind that an "I Hate Klaus Mikaelson" secret society did, in fact exist.

Klaus set his jaw and sent Stefan a look that conveyed a not so concealed message of "FIX THIS NOW" which quickly ended his friend's fit of laughter.

Regaining his composure, Stefan reached out to take Caroline's hand so she would return his gaze. She was immediately taken with the strain on his face conveying the gravity of the situation.

"Care, you're right, some people know that you and Klaus have what, for lack of a better word, can be classified as a contentious relationship. However, that can be easily spun into good, old fashioned pulling of pig tails or sexual tension and…" Caroline couldn't contain her scoff and tried to remove her hand but Stefan would not release her from his grasp. "Caroline, let me finish. Everyone will accept that you and Klaus are a legitimate couple. You're the only woman Klaus is seen with regularly and, I mean, you've been single for a long time now." Stefan hated making any reference to anything that would make Caroline think about the engagement that ended just 18 months prior. As strong and stoic as his friend tried to be during the ordeal, Stefan's heart clenched as he watched her flinch at the mere allusion to her break-up with Matt.

Even Klaus had the decency to look away at this mention. Standing and buttoning his blazer, "well, I think I can leave it to the two of you to sort this out." Klaus was almost out of the room when he suddenly stopped behind Caroline and placed his hands on the back of her chair. Caroline could feel the weight but refused to turn to him. "Caroline, I can assure you that I am very aware that I am not your first choice for a spouse and I for one do not relish the thought of tying myself to someone who would sooner burn my likeness in effigy than share my last name. However, my current predicament requires we both make sacrifices to ensure that all we do not lose all we have worked for. I do hope you are able to put aside your feelings for me and make the right decision. This is bigger than the two of us." And with that, Klaus left Caroline with what felt like the weight of the world on her shoulders.

Klaus barely had his foot out of the door before Caroline unleashed her full fury upon her former best friend. "What the hell, Stef! You cannot seriously think that this is a good idea! And you just sat there while he tried to manipulate me into making the "right decision"." Her best friend averted his eyes, succumbing to the guilt he felt. "And for you to even intimate that I would be a good candidate just because I'm single… You know why that is, Stef, and I can't believe you would throw that in my face."

Caroline could see that her friend was contrite and she couldn't help but feel a small tug at her heart. She could never stand to see Stef upset, even when he brought it upon himself.

Attempting to add some levity to her argument, "I mean, let's just consider the very high probability that one of us would meet an untimely death before ever even walking down the aisle..."

Klaus, who had been collecting some work before leaving his office, could not help but hear this comment and smile. He knew that he had placed a huge burden in Caroline's lap but this was the only option as far as he was concerned. So much depended on her. However, he still loved that she wasn't going to go quietly into the night. No, even if Klaus won this battle, he knew he would face many, many more over the course of their short marriage. Fortunately for Klaus, he found just the idea of a year of skirmishes with Caroline invigorating – she was his favorite opponent.

"And when I say "one of us," Caroline continued with a manic fury, "I am, of course referring to Klaus." Looking Stefan directly in the eye, "do you want that on your conscience? Do you? One best friend dead and the other on the run from the police?"

Unable to stifle his chuckle, "Caroline, I promise to get you the best lawyer money cand buy. Now.." Caroline quickly cut him off with a mad gleam in her eye, "Actually, I wouldn't even need to get my hands dirty with the actual murder. I could easily enlist any number of people to kill him for me."

"Care...," Stefan began, attempting to steer the conversation back on course.

Caroline refused to relent. Using her fingers to count, "Let's see, there is the old Head of New Business who he fired one week before he qualified for his pension, the Strauss family hates him after he purchased and then dismantled their 200 year-old family business, the entire country of Ecuador after he closed all of the manufacturing plants..." Klaus grimaced and reminded himself to begin locking his apartment doors. "Then there is the Greek shipping heir who hates Klaus for stealing his wife, which then leads us to the Brazilian model who would probably kill Klaus with her bare hands for ruining her and then dumping her after she left said Greek shipping heir for him." Smiling, she leaned back and crossed her arms, feeling successful in proving her case. "In fact, I could probably ignore the mass of enemies he has made through ruthless business practices and concentrate solely on just the jilted lovers who would gladly have a hand in his demise."

Klaus cursed silently. He had not realized Caroline was so aware of some of his less savory exploits. However, he thought, not everyone could be Saint Caroline.

"And lest we forget, he hates me!" she added.

"Caroline, would you please take this seriously and keep an open mind?" Hearing no reply, Klaus could only assume Caroline was offering Stefan her signature pout. "Let's be pragmatic and go through this as we would any other issue that could impact the business. 1.) Klaus is the CEO of Mikaelson & Co. and, should he be deported, the impact of the business and, subsequently, its employees would be immense. 2.) the easiest and, honestly, the only resolution to this for him to marry a US citizen. We went through candidates, Care." Stefan said, waving to the files scattered on the table," For one reason or another, not one is a good option. You, on the other hand, are perfect." Caroline rolled her eyes turned her chair to look away, indignant at the very idea that she would be perfect for the man she considered one level below Lucifer, himself. Or even Kanye West for that matter. "You've know each other for years, you have friends in common, we can argue that you kept the relationship a secret because you didn't want to expose yourself to unwanted attention at work. Also, you can handle Klaus. Anyone who knows him knows that he only surrounds himself with people he respects and he could never respect some docile dimwit. You go toe to toe with him every day and you never take his shit."

"This sounds eerily familiar to the sales pitch you gave me when you first offered me the Chief of Staff role here."

"Well, that leads me to point. 3.) If you marry Klaus, you will have more than enough money to not only start your foundation but also run it for years without outside contributions. Isn't that what all of your hard work is for? To realize this dream for your mom?"

Stefan pulled her chair closer to him and turned it so she was facing him. "Caroline, you and I have been friends since college. I know he can be a dick but would I ever put you in this position if I thought it was to your detriment? Would I ask you to do this if I thought there was any other way?"

Klaus felt his gut clench at the long silence. So much rested on her answer; what he wouldn't give to be able to watch as his fate unfolded just a room away. Caroline and Stefan were so close that they could communicate so much just with a look or a touch, which drove Klaus a little crazy in this situation. While it generally infuriated Klaus to witness the influence each could wield over the other, he knew that over the course of the last several weeks he had successfully built his case that marrying Caroline was their only option and he had faith that Stefan would do all he could to convince her.

"Give me the weekend to think about it, ok?" Her voice was small and defeated, something Klaus was not used to.


	2. Chapter 2

The Contract: Chapter 2

"That was intense," Bonnie said, releasing an exhausted sigh as she and Caroline exited the Lower East Side bikram studio.

"Brutal was the word I was gonna use. I think I may have sweat out all of my bodily fluids.

"Gross, Care!" Bonnie laughed. "But you were so in the zone. I don't think I've ever seen you so focused."

Caroline chuckled, "well, one would hope that after doing the class twice a week for a couple of years that I might pick something up!" Caroline didn't want to admit that maintaining her focus this early on a Saturday morning could be attributed more to her desire to get her mind off of her current predicament rather than her dedication to her yoga practice.

Caroline had one day to decide if she would/could sacrifice a year of her life to someone she barely tolerated at best and loathed at worst. Caroline couldn't help but grin to herself – 'loath' just happened to be one word that she reserved solely for Klaus Mikaelson. The blonde couldn't help but resent the position he was putting her in; basically making her responsible for the life of the business. A business that currently employs 10,000 globally; a business that has been bringing in some of the highest returns in its financial sector; a business that was about to go public; a business that Caroline helped build. This was a business that was going to help Caroline build a foundation in her mother's name.

Caroline stayed up most of the previous night writing a pro's and con's list. The pro's column contained a litany of names of Mikaelson & Co. employees - namely Stefan -, other businesses dependent upon the company's continued success, her own aspirations and even Klaus's family, many of whom lived off of the company in one way or the other. In the con column read one word. 'Klaus'.

For close to eight years Caroline endured an entire spectrum of abuse from the man. Caroline never quite understood why Klaus took such an immediate dislike to her and, to be honest, she ceased to care long ago. What began as quiet disdain on his part slowly developed into what can only be described as a campaign to make Caroline miserable. Somehow Klaus managed to insinuate himself into virtually every facet of her life and, once there, he never missed an opportunity to torment her. Whether it was mocking her when they attended the same social gatherings or wreaking havoc with her work schedule so she missed events, vacations… Even after the very painful breakup with her fiancé, Klaus chose to eschew all attempts at sympathy and simply piled more work on Caroline's plate and sent her on a three month travelling expedition to monitor their interests abroad. The only area in which Klaus offered her even a modicum of respect was in the office. Yes, he would still give her a difficult time whenever possible but he never diminished her role as one of the highest-ranking officers at the company. If anything, he was actually quite open about her importance and he rarely made a decision without seeking her counsel. However, they generally had to include Stefan as an intermediary to limit the likelihood of bloodshed. Poor Stefan, she thought. For nearly a decade he had been caught in the middle of this ongoing war between his closest friends.

Wait, Caroline thought grimacing. Screw that – Stefan was putting her in this position! What kind of best friend would allow her to sell her soul like this? Yeah, how dare he ask her to give up an entire year of her life for a charade. However, as hard as she tried, she would never be able to sustain any real anger towards her friend. After all, he'd been there for her since she was a lowly Freshman and he was a cool upper classman. As close as Caroline was to her childhood friends, Stefan was her family. The only family she had left ,she thought.

"Care?" Bonnie asked, noticing her friend was lost in her own thoughts.

"Oh, sorry Bon. What were you saying?"

"Want to grab breakfast?"

"Yeah, sure."

Bonnie and her friend walked up to the Gramercy Diner, which the girls had been frequenting since Caroline moved into the building around the corner many years ago. The diner had seen better days but the food was cheap, fast and after such a long patronage, the girls were treated like royalty.

As the girls entered they were greeted with a "Caroline! Bonnie!"

"Hi Gus!" the girls replied in unison.

Gus quickly ushered the two to a booth and asked, "The usual?" Both girls nodded and the waiter continued to ask, "where is the third Charlie's Angel?"

"Ha, Elijah took Katherine away for a romantic weekend," Bonnie replied. Gus nodded and left to submit their orders.

Furrowing her brow in confusion, Caroline asked, "wait, what? I thought we had girls' night tonight?"

Bonnie grimaced, "Oh God Care, I totally forgot! I just talked to Katherine last night and I think this was a surprise getaway. Elijah likes to keep the romance alive, you know."

Caroline couldn't help but smile at the thought of her former wild child roommate who found her soul mate in a man whose version of 'casual' consisted of loosening his tie. The former model was all passion and spontaneity to Elijah's stoicism and quiet calculation. With each other, the couple found a comfortable balance. Caroline could have never predicted that a chance meeting would have resulted in one of the happiest marriages she'd ever seen.

"Oh, ok. Well I guess it's down to you and me. I thought we could get our nails done before we go to dinner…"

Guilt written all over her face, Bonnie interrupted, "I'm so sorry, Care, I can't. The hospital is throwing a fundraiser and all of the residents are expected to attend. I feel like such a jerk."

Caroline couldn't help but let the disappointment show on her face. "But we made these plans weeks ago. We haven't been out in forever. I haven't been out in so long I can't even remember."

"I know and, seriously, I feel awful but I am at the bottom of the totem pole at the hospital which means I do what I'm told." Bonnie reached out for her friend's hand. "I'll make it up to you, I promise. Ok?"

Caroline offered a strained smile. Even though she couldn't tell anyone about the potentially life changing decision she was about to make, she really could have used some girl time.

"Yeah, no worries. You know, I'll just go see Luc later. We'll make an afternoon of it and then I'll catch up on my DVR."

Bonnie smiled at the mention of one of Caroline's great loves. However, she suddenly took on a serious expression. "What's going on with you?" Bonnie asked, concerned.

"Oh, not much. I'm just busy at work."

"You're always busy at work. I swear, Klaus is a sadist."

Gus returned with their coffee. Caroline nervously blew into her mug, "Um yeah, you know he isn't so bad…" Caroline said, quickly looking out to the street to avoid looking at her friend – she was a terrible liar. However, she was a master at evasion. "So, how are things with Luka?"

Bonnie lowered her eyes, a smile breaking across her face. "We're good, really, really good. But what about you? Have you gone out with anyone from any of those dating sites you signed up for?"

Caroline lowered her face to hands and shook her head in shame, remembering the online profiles she, Bonnie and Elena created after copious amounts of wine two months ago when Elena was visiting NYC from Mystic Falls. While it seemed like a good idea at the time, Caroline didn't think her fragile self-esteem could handle checking to see if she received any responses.

"Oh, you know, I've just had other things going on."

Again, Bonnie reached over to her friend and squeezed her hand. "Care, you need to get back in there. You and Matt broke up 2 years ago…"

"18 months," Caroline broke in, unable to hold her tongue.

"2 years, 18 months… My point is that you need to try, again. I get it; Matt broke your heart but your story isn't over. You are amazing, Care, and there is an epic love waiting for you somewhere out there but you aren't going to find it sitting in your apartment or at work."

Caroline froze at Bonnie's last statement. What if she decided to marry Klaus? How would she ever explain it to her friends?

"Bon, I appreciate that you are worried about me but I'm fine," Caroline said attempting a happy smile. "The truth is that I'm happier than I've been in awhile." Again, Caroline averted her gaze and changed the subject. "So you and Luka…I'm thinking a June wedding…"

That evening Caroline found herself on the well-loved couch in her apartment, drinking a glass of wine and scrolling though her DVR recordings. Caroline looked around her tiny abode and smiled. This was the first place of her very own and she felt an irrational attachment to it. It was a shoebox of a one bedroom on the fourth floor of a walk-up on Irving Place. The kitchen was miniscule, the heating capricious… Caroline could have upgraded to a much larger place years ago but this was her first home and she was comfortable. It was actually a point of contention with Matt because the place was too small for two to live comfortably and Caroline was unwilling to move until they were married. She said she didn't believe in cohabitating before marriage but, as they had technically already lived together in high school, she and Matt both knew that the truth was that she loved her own space and would not give it up until there was no other option.

This is nice, she thought, sipping her favorite white – a rare Savennieres. Savoring the taste, Caroline couldn't help but recall her first introduction to the wine. But enough of that, she thought, shaking the thoughts from her mind.

After the second generous pour, Caroline had finished most of her guilty pleasure shows and began contemplating what she might find on her laptop. I mean, lots of people find love on those dating sites, right, she thought? Those commercials wouldn't lie… And if she could find a viable option to date, maybe she could justify declining to take the deal with Klaus. I mean, how can I turn my back on true love, Caroline argued to herself.

Caroline logged in to her OkCupid and nearly dropped her glass upon reading the first message in the queue.

Typing furiously, Caroline mouthed, "no I would not like to watch you pleasure yourself while I wear a your wife's wedding dress, you perv. Ugh!"

After the 15th x-rated message, Caroline decided to check her eHarmony profile. Though all the messages were polite and respectful, all Caroline could think was "really, I only attract middle aged, bald fatties with cleft palates? Seriously?"

Caroline slammed her laptop shut and drained the remains of the bottle in her glass. I mean, I never go out, she reasoned…another glass wouldn't hurt…

Hours later, Caroline discarded another tissue onto the floor and reached for the wine bottle to find that only dregs remained. Why did I think _Jane Eyre_ was good idea tonight, she thought reaching for another Kleenex.

No, she thought, I will not wallow in self-pity, now clumsily opening her second bottle.

Thinking aloud, "I am an intelligent, accomplished woman. I do not need a man to validate my worth." Pouring until her glass overflowed with wine, "I do not need a wedding ring." Gulp. "I do not need a 2.5 kids…" Gulp.

Caroline was now curled up on her floor, wine bottle in hand, listening to Zucchero's "Feel Like A Woman" on repeat, singing and crying hysterically. To have that kind of love, she thought, taking another sloppy drink from the bottle. This is what I want, it is what I deserve, she thought. How dare Klaus think I have nothing better to do over the next year… I have a love out there somewhere and it will be epic, she concluded.

She gracelessly hoisted herself up and staggered to her purse to retrieve her phone. The time read 2am but that would not deter her. He was probably asleep she considered but immediately dismissed the thought. Who cares? If he's willing to make me lose sleep over the next year, I can upset his beauty rest one night. Or maybe he's engaged in some kind of an orgy. How dare he ask me to marry him and then sleep with multiple women while I agonize over this decision!

Caroline placed a hand on her hip and adopted a defiant stance. She dialed his number and went straight to voicemail. "I've considered your offer and I must respectfully decline your proposal." Caroline smirked realizing that catching up on her _Downton _episodes was really paying off. "You see I know what I am worth and it is much more than you could ever offer, Klaus. So, I wish you well and…" Caroline quickly panicked, not knowing what else to add, "and so I say goodnight sir. Ta ta."

Caroline pressed 'End', sat on her couch and face palmed herself. 'Ta ta?' Seriously?

Unable to shake the embarrassment of her call and go to sleep, Caroline decided to continue listening to her music in hopes that it would lull her into sleep…

One hour and a third bottle of wine later, Caroline was still coherent enough to take in her surroundings and conclude that she had successfully recreated the standout scene in _Bridget Jones Diary. _Sitting on the floor, clutching a wine bottle along with the only picture she retained of Matt, tissues strewn about the floor… Caroline grabbed her remote to repeat Fiona Apple's _Never Is A Promise. _

Singing at the top of her lungs while whiping her nose on her nubby sweater, "You say you'll understand but you'll never understand…"

What was she thinking? She has nothing going on in her life. The love of her life abandoned her and there was nothing left for her. What is a year of her life worth? Not much. So, she thought, my options are that I sit home alone without a job or I sit at Klaus's home alone and employed. Doesn't seem like a difficult decision.

Not trusting her legs, Caroline crawled on all fours to retrieve her phone from her bag.

After dialing the number and listening to the familiar voice, Caroline left her message. "Fine," she said and pressed 'End'.


	3. Chapter 3

The Contract: Chapter 3

Caroline was suddenly jarred awake by air sirens. Air sirens? Didn't they discontinue air sirens after, like, World War II? The high-pitched rings continued to assault Caroline's senses as she remained half asleep and contemplated the origins of the mind shattering racket. What was the alternative? The fire alarm? Maybe the building is on fire, Caroline posited. It's probably not the worst way to die she reasoned, rolling over to continue her alcohol induced slumber.

After several more minutes of uninterrupted oratory hell, Caroline screamed, "oh, just burn already!"

"Caroline?" called a familiar accented voice.

Caroline slowly opened one sleep-crusted eye, hoping and praying that her booze-soaked brain was playing tricks on her. The incessant ringing stopped so maybe this was just a bad dream. She shut her eye and settled back with hopes of going back to sleep.

BAAAAAHHH! BAAAAAAHHH! The ringing continued.

"Caroline! I know that you're in there and I fully intend to wait here until you answer the door."

Caroline shot upright at the voice. No, no, no, no, she thought, this is a nightmare. She quickly surveyed her surroundings and the post-alcohol regret quickly set in. She noted that she had slept on the floor in front of her couch surrounded by tear-soaked tissues and 3 empty bottles of wine. It can't be, she thought, checking to ensure that all of the bottles were, in fact, empty. I've never imbibed that much; however, the throbbing in her head proved otherwise.

"Caroline, love, you are trying my patience. Open the door."

"Just a minute!" Caroline responded, reaching to gather some of the stray tissues only to become aware that one of her hands was securely lodged in an open box of Cheerios. Seriously, she thought. Is this how Courtney Love wakes up every morning? Caroline carefully extricated her hand from the box and gathered the litter of cereal and Kleenexes that she slept upon like some kind of demented homeless person.

After removing the trash as well as the evidence of her attempt to drown herself in wine, Caroline stumbled to the bathroom to take stock of the ramifications of her actions.

'Oh my God," she breathed, looking into the mirror in horror. She turned on the faucet and began to scrub the remnants of mascara that began around her eyes and made a wide trail all to way to her chin. And that was the least of her problems… Eyes swollen, face pale and damp with sweat, Caroline looked like she just walked off of The Walking Dead set.

"Caroline, open the goddamn door," demanded the steely voice.

"Shit, shit, shit," she cursed. Caroline had an idea that seemed fool-proof to her 80 proof soaked brain and she quickly grabbed her sunglasses and made her way to her door. Taking a deep breath, she steeled herself again what she stood on the other side of her door.

Releasing the 3 locks and opening the door, Caroline was surprised to watch Klaus as her barreled into her apartment.

"Well, that was 15 minutes that I will never get back," he muttered.

"Sorry, I was asleep…and its not like I was expecting you." Caroline shut the door and turned to see Klaus walking around her apartment, picking up picture frames, reviewing the books on her shelves and those that were neatly stacked on the floor due to overflow. Caroline could not help but notice that Klaus was dressed casually; outfitted in a loose pair of faded jeans, a gray Henley and a black, light-weight jacket. Caroline looked down at her men's pajama bottoms, tank and over-sized cardigan and cringed. Why am I only wearing one sock, she wondered?

Uncomfortable with Klaus rifling through her personal belongings, Caroline cleared her throat, "so? Why are you here?"

Klaus finally turned to her as if he was surprised she was still there. He gave her a slow once over and smirked.

"The light hurting your eyes, sweetheart?" he chided, pointing to the Ray Bans that sat slightly askew on her nose.

"Um, I… I just got Lasik and have to wear these for, like, 24 hours or something." Caroline reached up, trying to right her spectacles.

"Right… So, I got your messages and thought we should talk."

Caroline crossed her arms, attempting haughty but accomplishing a ridiculous stance. "I think I said everything that needs to be said in the messages." Caroline walked to open the door in a not-so-obvious subtle attempt to get Klaus to leave.

Ignoring the underlying message of Caroline's actions, Klaus pulled his phone out of his pocket. "Oh, you had a wealth of things to say, sweetheart, which is why I am here."

Caroline scrutinized Klaus's expression. Oh God, she thought, that's the I know something you don't know and I plan to destroy you with it smirk. The disheveled blonde sighed and closed the door, firm in the knowledge that, somehow, Klaus was about to rip the rug from underneath her already shaky legs.

"I called, told you 'no' and then, after further contemplation I called to say I reconsidered. What else is there to say?" Caroline cringed, pretty positive that this was not the end of the story.

A smile broke across Klaus's face. "I think you may be offering the abbreviated version, love. You see I received 7 messages from you last night, each more interesting than the next."

Caroline went cold and she attempted to swallow the bile that was collecting in her stomach. "What are you talking about?" she asked, trying to seem dismissive.

"Well I can play them for you or I can paraphrase. The problem with the latter option is that towards the end you began to speak in what I can only assume to be some ancient tongue. And, as I not a scholar in Aramaic or any other dead language, I thought I might save us some time and discuss this in person." Klaus took a seat on the couch and patted one of the cushions and motioned for Caroline to join him.

"Come on, there's nothing to be afraid of because, as you can see," Klaus said gesturing himself and then to one of the windows, "I am not as you so poetically phrased in your, what was it…your fifth voicemail, a power hungry ego maniacal blood sucker."

Caroline shuttered at the sudden, broken memory of leaving that voicemail and went to sit opposite Klaus on the couch. "I can explain. I was just watching The Vampire Diaries and thought it would be funny…"

Raising his to hand to stop her, Klaus began, "Caroline, honestly I do not care that you spend you evenings marinating yourself in alcohol." Caroline attempted to protest but Klaus continued, "I came by to confirm that you have, in fact, agreed to the marriage and to give you a copy of the contract to review. I must admit," Klaus said, offering a gentle smile and training his smoldering blue eyes on her, he said "I was pleasantly surprised you agreed."

Slowly, Klaus reached his hand forward, cupping the side of Caroline's face. Caught completely off guard and with her reflexes diminished by the previous night's shenanigans, the blonde was unable to react as he drew her face forward. Klaus moved his other hand to trace the waves of her hair. Caroline could not help but close her eyes and lean into his touch.

Until…"Ouch!" Caroline exclaimed, grabbing at the side of her head. "Did you just pull my hair?"

Klaus offered Caroline a gentle smile and raised his hand to show something small between his index and forefinger.

Identifying the object, Caroline released a groan and grabbed at the Cheerio in Klaus's hand.

Quickly moving it out of her reach, Klaus gave Caroline a hard look. "Please tell me, is this the charming sight I should expect to wake up to for the next year?"

"No, just, just give it here." Caroline breathed as she launched herself across Klaus's lap in attempt to wrest the evidence of her shame from his grip.

Klaus couldn't help but laugh as he witnessed this woman considered by many, including himself, as one of the top young professional on Wall Street writhe on his lap and whine like a child.

It took Caroline minutes to realize the futility of her actions and she then righted herself on the couch and readjusted the sunglasses on her face. Considering her current state, the energy she just expended exhausted her. Caroline released a deep sigh, "fine, whatever. I said I'll marry you so what do you want, again?"

Klaus grimaced and replied, "first things first, love. Why don't you do us both a favor and brush your teeth and then we can review the contract."

Caroline gasped and clasped her hand over her mouth in a show of mortification.

Screwing up his nose, her boss added, "And if you tell me that you already have, then collect your things as I will be taking you to the nearest hospital because something is most assuredly not right with you."

The blonde let out an embarrassed squeak and ran to the bathroom.

Klaus grinned. He never missed a chance to ruffle Caroline's perfect feathers and, considering the state he discovered her in this morning, today was rife with possibility…

Klaus went into he kitchen to dispose of the errant piece of cereal. He opened a few of the low cupboards and was not surprised to find everything in pristine condition and meticulously arranged. He was somewhat taken aback at the amount of cooking equipment she had stored in such a small space. He found a food processor, Kitchen aide mixer, a mortar and pestle… He continued to peruse the items to find a smoking gun, a torch and a full range of premium copper pots and pans. Klaus had no idea the blonde was such an avid cook.

An image of Caroline bustling around his spacious kitchen flashed in his mind. Klaus must remember to leave a note for his housekeeper Maria to ensure everything in the kitchen is in working order. The busy CEO was far from domestic and, truth be told, he wasn't even sure the oven or stovetop had ever been used, save to light the occasional cigarette.

Locating the bin under the sink, Klaus noted the 3 empty bottles of wine nestled in the rubbage along with a half-full box a cereal and a mass of crumpled tissues. What the hell did she get up to, he wondered, reading the labels of the bottles. He smiled when he saw the bottle of Savennieres. His face quickly adopted a frown as he contemplated the possibility that the tiny figure currently locked in the bathroom could consume so much alcohol alone. Perhaps she had company, he considered.

Listening at the bathroom door and discerning the sound of a shower running, Klaus made his way to what he assumed would be her bedroom. He was satisfied when he saw that the bed was made up neatly - military corners and all. Klaus felt relief wash over him knowing that no one, not even Caroline, had slept in it last night. Not that he expected her to seduce anyone in those pj's. She was a right mess, he thought, but still adorable and entertaining. Yes, this will be an interesting year.

He took the opportunity to continue his review of her room. He read through the titles of the books that lined her shelves. Impressive, he thought. He studied the pictures that decorated the walls and noted that none of them appeared to be more than 10 years old, at the oldest – no childhood photos. There was one of Caroline with her friends Bonnie and an attractive brunette dressed in cheer outfits, and many of them at sundry vacation spots. Klaus groaned when he noticed a couple with Katherine. What could Caroline possibly find appealing in that wretched woman, he wondered. The Brit was not surprised to find that majority of pictures featured the familiar face of Stefan Salvatore. From the two bedecked in their crimson Harvard sweatshirts at a football game to a recent one at this year's Mikaelson & Co. holiday party – the two friends had obviously changed over the years but the look of pure happiness they both projected when together was never altered. There were even a few with the friends accompanied by someone Klaus enjoyed almost as little as Katherine – the elder Salvatore. He picked up one with the three for closer examination and his jaw clenched as he noted the arm Damon had laced around Caroline's waist. He knew that she was also close with Stefan's older brother and that they had even lived together for a brief time while Stefan was abroad but he found the visual evidence unsettling.

Klaus moved to Caroline's bedside table and noticed the ancient copy of _Black Beauty_ that Caroline never seemed to part with. He smiled when he noticed the picture that stood beside her lamp. He traced his finger over and tried to recall the Parisian club that had found themselves in that New Year's. Caroline and Kol wore matching gold top hats while Stefan had a noisemaker stuck in the side of his mouth – each flushed with alcohol and donning goofy grins. Klaus stood slightly to the side of the group, offering a rare, wide smile. He briefly contemplated how often he thought about that night over the course of the last 7 plus years.

His eyes moved from the photo and were caught by what he found written on the open notebook placed nearby. Klaus chuckled when he read through the detailed pro's and con's list carefully prepared by Caroline. He detached the sheet, folded it and placed the sheet in his pocket.

Klaus surveyed the room once more and was struck by the small size. Extending both arms, he was almost able to touch two of the four walls. What in the bloody hell does she do with her money, he wondered. Why would someone who is worth 7 figures live like a pauper? He mentally reviewed Caroline's expenses: she got a scholarship for undergrad and Goldman paid for her to get her MBA from Columbia, she lived in this humble little abode and wore stylish but modest clothing. While he knew through Stefan that she picked up the expenses when she, Bonnie and Elena took their annual trip, the trips were never extravagant. She must have quite the nest egg, he mused.

"Can I help you?"

Klaus turned to find Caroline standing in the doorway wearing a bathrobe, her shades still affixed to her face and a scowl firmly set on her mouth.

Only Caroline could look absolutely ridiculous and enticing at the same time.

"I see your eyes are still bothering you, love," he offered, gesturing to her sunglasses.

Her hands unconsciously moved to her face to adjust the Ray Bans. "Yeah, well, the doctor said that I need to wear them for 24 hours after the surgery."

"Aha," Klaus said, walking closer to examine her face. "So, that means you found a doctor to perform Lasik surgery on you on a Saturday. How very convenient."

Unwilling to give up the ruse, Caroline cleared her throat uncomfortably and responded, "yes, my doctor has a very flexible schedule."

"So it would seem. And his post-op instructions? Did they happen to include consuming 3 bottles of wine while lying prone on your living room floor?" Klaus's dimples were on full display as he grinned in triumph.

Caroline's jaw dropped at her lie blowing up in her face. How she longed to wipe that smile off of his face, she thought, shoving past him into her tiny bedroom.

"Go to hell…and get out of my room! I need to change."

"Of course, sweetheart." Klaus left Caroline to get dressed but continued to talk to her through the door. "I was thinking we could go to brunch at Marea. I reserved a private room so we can go through the details of the contract without any prying eyes or ears."

Caroline's mouth watered at the idea of eating at Marea – one of the most difficult places in the city to get a reservation. She quickly pulled on a pair of dark skinny jeans and paired it with a tank and loose sweater that fell off her shoulder. Fighting her hunger and gathering her hair in a high bun, she responded, "I'm not going anywhere with you."

"Stop being petulant, love. I know for a fact that you've run out of your cereal of choice and you need to put something in that stomach to soak up everything you drank last night. So, be a good girl and let's go."

Caroline stopped, considering the culinary delights she would find at brunch.

Perceiving the silence, Klaus added, "and like I said, I have a private room so you don't even have to worry about your current appearance."

Klaus heard a drawer slam and realized his mistake. The bedroom door flew open and the blonde came out glaring at him. "I'm not hungry," she spat at him. "I'll review the contract and give you my notes tomorrow."

Caroline made her way to the kitchen remembering that Klaus placed the document on her small breakfast counter. She seated herself on one of the stools and ripped the fold of the envelope to retrieve the document.

Klaus was about to protest when he heard keys in the door. He offered Caroline a questioning glance but she was already immersed in her reading.

The door opened, "Blondie, I got your message. I came as soon as I could to save you from making the biggest mistake of your life…"

Klaus's fist clenched at the sound of that voice and he turned to face the elder Salvatore who stopped short at the sight of the Brit.

"Speaking of the devil," the new arrival smirked.

"Damon," Klaus said, offering the dark haired man a slight nod.

"Dick."


	4. Chapter 4

The Contract: Chapter 4

I want to thank everyone for the kind reviews! This is my first attempt at writing prose, so I really appreciate your encouragement!

In response to some of your reviews -

You will notice that Caroline has several close friendships in this story that aren't canon. My reasoning is a follows: 1.) Caroline is awesome and everyone should love her, 2.) as the story develops, you will understand why she dedicates so much time to fostering and maintaining her friendships and 3.) Caroline chose to pursue a male dominated field and she is very comfortable in the company of men and she is also comfortable competing with them – this is why she has many non-sexual close relationships with men. Although she is still feminine, she's also a guy's girl.

Also, many of you have remarked that you enjoy that Caroline is a strong character and that she doesn't back down to Klaus. This is something I find very important because I get sick of reading so much fanfiction that reads with her being anything other than a professional. Anyone who has seen the show should know that Caroline Forbes would never being satisfied as anything but a leader!

Damon walked passed Klaus without giving him a second glance until he reached the woman perched upon the stool and placed a kiss on her the top of her head.

"What's with the glasses, Stevie Wonder?" he asked, pulling the sunglasses off of her face. Caroline quickly placed a hand over her eyes to protect them from the glare.

"Gah, Damon, you sadist!"

"Awww, Blondie, what did you get up to last night? Let me just say," he began, trying to train his face into a serious expression, "as horrible as the thought of marrying Klaus may be, vinocide is not the way to go… You've far too much to live for."

Klaus could already feel his blood pressure rising, a common occurrence whenever he was forced to be in the same room as the dark haired Salvatore.

"You told him about my proposal?" he asked, glaring at Caroline.

Still squinting against the ambient light, Caroline gave a weak shrug. "He's my lawyer; of course I told him."

"He's a corporate lawyer!" Klaus argued.

"So is Alaric and I'm sure he's the one who put this together," Caroline countered waiving the document.

Damon placed his hand on the back of Caroline's stool and leaned over her shoulder to take a look at the offending contract. "To answer your question, Klaus, yes, I happen to be a partner at the top law firm in the city but I always make time to help out a friend..." He turned to Caroline and gave her a quick smile before turning back to the Brit and continuing, "oh, and to make your life hell. I always make time for that, too."

"I am aware," Klaus responded. "So, the damsel in distress called to tell you that we are getting married and you came in like a knight on horseback, breaking down her front door to rescue her from the big bad wolf, is that it?"

"Actually, I got the gist of what was happening from the gibberish Caroline left on my voicemail, filled in the blanks with Stefan this morning and then came here to make sure she didn't manage to drown herself last night." Damon grabbed the bag he carried in and placed it in front of Caroline. "And…to bring her this."

Her went wide, "is that what I think it is?"

Chuckling, Damon opened the bag and pulled out three paper cups and two large food platters. "Indeed it is. I explained to Gus that you were a bit under the weather and gave him careful instructions on how to make 'the cure'."

"Oh my God, I'm starving! You are a prince among men, Salvatore!" Caroline gushed, opening a coffee and expressing a satisfied sigh after the first sip. Klaus pursed his lips, didn't she just say she wasn't hungry, he thought.

"Indeed, I am, " Damon deadpanned. Turning his attention back to Klaus, "and I didn't break down any door," he said, lifting his hand and jingling a set of keys. "You see, Caroline and I are key buddies."

Like things couldn't get any worse, Klaus thought. "Oh are you?"

Sensing that Damon was trying Klaus's patience, Caroline quickly interjected, "Yeah, Damon lives close by so we have a set of each other's keys in case one of us gets locked out or has some other emergency. However, to date, most of his emergencies consist of Damon hiding out here because he's avoiding his latest fling." Damon smiled and nodded to confirm that this was, indeed, the case.

Caroline opened the lid off one of the other cups and screwed her face up. "Ugh, Damon, do I have to?" she asked looking at the green sludge in her hand.

"All of it."

Caroline grimaced, held her nose and began drinking the goo as quickly as possible.

"Is that some kind of smoothie?" Klaus asked, intrigued.

Damon took the cup from Caroline's hand once she was finished, smelling it and making a face while she gripped the counter and tried her best to keep the contents of her stomach down.

"Not exactly. It's an old family secret/hangover cure– spinach, a little apple, hot sauce and a little hair of the dog," he reached into his jacket pocket to expose the neck of his flask. "Works every time."

"Yeah because one generally stops drinking for months after being forced to take the damn cure," Caroline said, her eyes watering from the hot sauce.

"Well, you do the crime, you do the time." Damon walked into the kitchen to retrieve silverware and two plates (he's mighty familiar with the place, Klaus thought) and returned to the take the other stool at the counter. He and Caroline opened the two take-out platters that were practically bursting with an assortment of pancakes, scrambled eggs, bacon, sausage… "Sorry," Damon said, "there's only enough for two..."

"Oh my God, this is just was I needed," Caroline said, loading her plate with the fatty foods.

"I didn't think you ate things like that," Klaus stated, his confidence somewhat shaken that he didn't know her as well as he believed.

Damon chuckled, "Jesus, Caroline? She practically hoovers breakfast food down that gullet of hers. It's like watching one of those documentaries on geese being force fed to harvest fois gras. Of course, in this case it is self-gavage."

"Seriously Damon? Gross," she said rolling her eyes at her blue eyed friend. "But, yes Klaus, breakfast is my favorite meal and the greasier the better."

"Well, it seems this morning has been quite the learning experience for me. My future bride drinks like a sailor, eats like a trucker and has given the Marquis de Sade over here free reign in her apartment. Is there anything else I should know before we sign the contract?" Klaus asked, pulling a pen from his jeans pocket.

Laying down his fork and wiping his mouth with his napkin, Damon began, "yeah, about that…as Caroline's attorney I should inform you that she will not be signing anything today and, if I can convince her to come to her senses, she won't be signing this ever."

"Is that so?" Klaus challenged. "Perhaps you should speak with your client before making such grand declarations."

"Listen, I talked to Stefan this morning and I know you're essentially guilting Caroline into this even though this is really an issue between you and your daddy. You know as well as I that she suffers from that pesky little thing called a conscience and the only reason she has agreed to this is because she's worried about your employees." Damon picked up his fork and gestured to the M & Co. CEO before continuing, "fortunately for my client, I do not have a conscience which makes me uniquely capable of battling against someone with a similar constitution."

Watching Klaus's rage mount, Damon finished, "so, if I cannot talk Barbie out of making a Chernoble-sized mistake, you can expect me to re-write every word of this trash," he said pointing to the contract, "to ensure that Caroline's interests are protected. By the end of our negotiation, you will be begging not to marry her."

Incensed that Caroline had engaged Damon Salvatore to turn what should have been a very easy, amicable process into a 'negotiation', Klaus did what he does best – he went for the jugular. "Isn't that what most men do with Caroline?"

Caroline's eyes flashed with hurt and anger, her face flushing crimson. Damon's stool fell to the floor as he suddenly stood up, intent on pummeling the wirey bastard.

"You son of a bitch!" he said trying to make his way around the counter.

"Damon!" Caroline called. She moved swiftly to insinuate herself between the two men. She faced Damon and placing her hands to his chest, "stop ok? Just sit back down." Turning her head to look at her tormentor/husband-to-be, "I'm going to walk Klaus out and then you and I will finish our breakfast, ok?"

"Care –" Damon protested but Caroline gently guided him back towards his seat, her hands still on his chest.

"I'll be right back," she said, trying to calm her friend. Her eyes darted to the neck of his shirt and she squinted while pulling the fabric down. Caroline couldn't help but smile as understanding hit her. "We will eat and then you can tell me about whoever left that love bite on your neck."

"Nice attempt at aversion, Blondie." Damon nodded his head towards Klaus and said, "You've got 2 minutes. A second longer and I will go out there and kick his ass."

"If he keeps me away from my breakfast any longer and I will kick his ass," Caroline countered.

Caroline passed Klaus as she made her way to the front door and gestured for him to follow her. Klaus felt like he had cement in his shoes. He was a man known for doing and saying horrible, horrible things and, as Damon stated, his lack of conscience generally allowed him to still sleep well at night. However, even he recognized that he just crossed the line. More like he pole-vaulted over the line, he thought. Caroline had been working for him for six months when Klaus realized that she and Matt had broken off the engagement and he cursed himself for being so cruel to her.

"_Ok, so we've confirmed the bonus numbers for the hedge fund of funds group, the lbo team…," Caroline said checking off the list._

_Klaus looked at the team gathered around in his conference room table and sighed. The year-end numbers needed to be confirmed by the end of the week and the entire executive management team had been putting in long hours to get this accomplished._

"_What's next?"_

"_Marcel's team, the private fund group," Caroline said, her voice tired. _

"_Well, Marcel is travelling and he won't be available to discuss this until he retrurn tomorrow afternoon. Everyone can go."_

_After so many hours in the cramped space, the group eagerly stood to depart. Caroline stood and began collecting the confidential materials strewn across the table. _

"_What do you think you're doing?" Klaus asked._

"_Leaving?" Caroline responded, unable to repress a yawn_

"_I'm sorry, am I boring you, love?" Klaus smiled._

_Caroline glared at him, "If you insist on calling me 'love' or 'sweetheart' in the work place, please be prepared for me to begin using my many colorful pet names for you on every document I prepare for this firm in perpetuity."_

"_Tsk, tsk, someone is very touchy this evening."_

_Caroline stopped what she was doing and stood to face Klaus, "is there something else you need tonight? If not, I would like to actually get home at a decent hour."_

_Klaus was taken aback by the venom in her voice. While he was used to her acerbic tongue, he had never heard Caroline beg off of work. If anything, she was usually the one who worked the longest hours. "There's no time like the present" was practically her mantra._

"_Well," Klaus began, "I thought we should review the figures you gave me yesterday for the leveraged investments group. I think you forgot to incorporate the carry-"_

"_I didn't forget anything, Klaus," said the blonde, her teeth on edge._

"_I beg to differ, lov – Caroline." Klaus offered her a sarcastic smile. "No worries, it happens to the best of us but –"_

"_I. Didn't. Forget. Anything. I do not forget things!" Again, Klaus was surprised by her response. He suddenly became aware that her eyes were closed in exhaustion, her face terribly pale. His gaze moved lower to note that Caroline's knuckles went white, clutching the documents in her hand. He couldn't help but notice something else…_

"_Is that so," he said, gesturing to her hand. "Looks like someone forgot her engagement ring this morning."_

_Caroline opened her eyes and trained them on her boss. Klaus now saw the deep red outlining those deep blue orbs. _

_Caroline slowly shook her head and whispered her reply. "Like I said, I do not forget things." And with that, she left Klaus in the conference room, alone to process all of the thoughts that were whirling in his head_

Klaus walked into the hall behind Caroline. "Sweetheart, I apo –"

Caroline quickly whipped around, slapping Klaus with all of the force she could muster.

Klaus righted himself and clutched the side of his face in shock.

Caroline looked Klaus squarely in the eye. "Remember that next time you even think about fucking with me…, _sweetheart."_

And with that, Caroline returned to her apartment, slamming the door. Once again, Klaus was left alone to process all of the thoughts whirling in his head.


	5. Chapter 5

The Contract: Chapter 5

"Please tell me that you did what it sounds like you did," Damon said, offering his friend a broad smile after she returned to her seat at the counter.

"Not one of my finer moments but sometimes when words fail…," Caroline shrugged.

"I bet your trainer will be proud," he added, patting her on her back.

Caroline snorted in reply, "umm, I don't think I'll be telling Jeremy or anyone else that I cold-cocked my boss any time soon."

"Well, now that you dodged that bullet," Damon began, reaching for the contract which lay forgotten on the countertop, "would you like to do the honors or shall I?" He gripped the edges with either hand, and quirked an eyebrow.

Realizing his intentions, Caroline grabbed the document from his hands. "What do you think you're doing?" she shrieked, smoothing out the pages.

"What do you mean what am I doing? I'm going to rip that trash into a million pieces, then we're going to use them to make an effigy of Klaus out of paper mache and, finally, we're going to burn that sucker on your fire escape."

"No we're not. We're going to study every word of this. I'm not signing anything blindly." With that, Caroline took a bite of her blueberry pancakes and immersed herself in the language of the contract.

Damon dropped his fork dramatically on his plate and gave Caroline a look of horror. "I'm sorry, I think I misheard you. You're still considering going through this after that?" he cried, gesturing towards where Klaus had been standing. "Are you still drunk?"

Caroline winced at the volume of Damon's voice and clutched her throbbing head in her hands. "Yes and maybe a little," she replied weakly. "Just hear me out, ok?"

Damon crossed his arms over his chest, "make your case."

"God, you're such a lawyer," she scoffed. "Listen, as much as I hate to admit it, if Klaus is forced to leave the country due to his visa expiring, there will be major implications for the company and our employees. Stefan and I will probably be forced to either relocate to London with Klaus or start collecting unemployment."

"Maybe if he didn't have daddy issues his documents would not have been," raising two finger for air quotes, "'misplaced'. I mean, really, Klaus wrestled that company from daddy dearest's hands and now daddy wants revenge. Sucks to be him but IT'S NOT YOUR PROBLEM."

Cupping her hands over her ears. "Inside voice, please," she hissed. "Let me finish, would you? There are other issues, too. I can't go into the details but we also have some huge deals that would all be shot to hell with this kind of shake-up."

"You mean like the M & Co. IPO and the Kimbay acquisition?" Damon offered.

Caroline rolled her eyes, "Good God, Stefan leaks like a sieve, doesn't he? He keeps a secret worse a teenage girl at a sleepover."

"Now, don't be hard on Stef," Damon began gesturing to his chiseled, handsome visage. "I mean, who wouldn't trust a face like this? And you and I both know that I can keep a secret," he said with a wink.

Caroline rolled her eyes. "Are you done?"

Damon waived his hand, signaling for her to continue.

"And finally, if I agree to do this, I will make more cash in one year than I could in ten at work. In cash, Damon!" she stressed. "That means The Elizabeth J. Forbes Foundation could be up an running in as early as two years. With that kind of capital I could expand to have centers for displaced kids in multiple cities. I wouldn't even have to wait to add the educational and nutritional programs I'd planned to begin years down the road," she explained.

Damon was moved by his friend's excitement.

"I think that's worth a year of my life, even if it means I have to spend that year chained to a man I frequently fantasize will become a mute quadriplegic after a freaky masturbation accident."

"What?" Caroline asked noting Damon's appalled expression. "I'll have you know that I have a very vivid imagination. That and a mean streak…"

"I'm quite familiar with both," he chuckled, giving her a seductive smirk.

Punching him in the chest, "can you get your head out of your pants and be serious for a second?"

"Ok Blondie, I give up," he said offering his hands in submission. "It's obvious that you're hell bent and determined to make the biggest mistake of your life."

Caroline patted her friend condescendingly on the cheek, "don't get upset Damon. You will always be my favorite mistake," she giggled.

"And don't you ever forget it, Barbie. Now, let's get down to business," he said, picking up the contract. "What are we dealing with here?"

"I've been working on this for some time," Caroline explained, "so I basically know all of the points in this and its all pretty standard."

"Ha - standard! Did Alaric use a Russian mail order bride contract as a template?"

"I mean there is standard language regarding confidentiality, the term of the contract, the conditions for payment after the conclusion of the year…etc. etc."

"Yeah, I'm sure this all looks like it's all fair and square but I'm worried about what isn't written in black and white."

"What do you mean?" Caroline asked, her brows furrowed.

"What I mean is, we need to get specific here because we do not want any liberties to be taken…," Damon said raising his eyebrows suggestively.

"Come on, Damon, Klaus is an ass but I could never see him taking advantage of me like that." Just the thought of Klaus in that way made her shutter. There was a time when she considered him attractive, I mean really, really attractive, she thought, but then he opened his mouth…

"Regardless, we need to explicitly define what your duties as his wife will be over the course of the next year. From details on the wedding to how many social events you are to attend with him…it all needs to be in the contract. We even need to get down and dirty, if you will, on what you're willing to do sexually."

"Nothing! I'm not some 2 dollar hooker!" Caroline exclaimed.

"Shh," he murmured while patting her on the shoulder in hopes of calming her down. "I know, I know but to be technical, you'd actually be a multi-million dollar hooker…"

"Damon!" she screeched smacking him in the shoulder.

"I'm just saying that if you're supposed to be a believable couple, I image some public displays of affection will be expected. It is imperative that we are explicit about what you will and will not do. Like, holding hands should be a given but hand on the ass, I think not. And then there's kissing. If we don't do something to protect you, he may believe her can maul your face whenever he likes. We need to add terms and we need to set up provisions so you have recourse if he steps out of line."

"This is getting so complicated," Caroline muttered, her headache beginning to intensify. "Provisions? Ramifications?" Suddenly, her head shot up and she look at Damon with the most serious of expressions. "I want it written that if he tries to slip me any tongue, I get to slap him again."

Damon chuckled, "you really enjoyed that, didn't you?

Biting her lip, feeling slightly guilty, "you have no idea."

"Ok, so we're doing this?"

Caroline nodded confirmation.

"Ok, then. Well, I hope you didn't have any plans because this is going to take all day." With that, Damon removed his light jacket and began rolling up his sleeves.

Caroline stood and enveloped her friend in a bear hug. "Thank you so much. How will I ever be able to repay you?"

"I've got a few of ideas. Beginning with you making me that risotto you used to make in school."

Nodding her head in agreement, "ok, that is totally doable."

"AAAnnnd, I will be needing the phone number of that yoga instructor you had at your last dinner party."

"Rose? Didn't you get rejected enough at your last encounter?"

"Well, good buddy, last time I didn't have you dedicated to making me look good."

Caroline signed dramatically and smiled, "Fine."

"Now let's get down to business!" he said clapping his hands then reaching over to inspect Caroline's bun.

"What are you doing?" she asked swatting away his hand.

"Looking for a pen."

Klaus entered the penthouse apartment perched atop the Time Warner building and tossed his keys on the foyer table. He walked passed his open kitchen, which shone bright with stainless steel appliances and dark polished granite countertops. He stopped at the top stair of his recessed living room. Looking around the apartment, Klaus couldn't help but notice the dramatic difference between his palatial space and Caroline's postage stamp sized abode.

Here, the rooms where all industrial whites and grays; large expanses of glass offered breathtaking views of Central Park. He'd never noticed how cold the place was before. Caroline's apartment was tiny and offered no amenities but it was homey and lived-in. Walking in her front door, one was quick to feel Caroline's bright, welcoming presence – it was so uniquely her. From the colorful watercolors on the walls to the photos littered on every surface and even the soft yellow throw on the couch – all so thoughtfully placed by her hand and so Caroline.

His place, in contrast, (for it could hardly be called a home) looked like it was all purchased from the same page of a high-end catalogue - it was generic and impersonal. One could spend hours in here and walk away without knowing anything about Klaus Mikaelson, save that he had expensive tastes. The furniture was all neutral and angled, the artwork dark and imposing. Rebekah had just graduated from Parson's when he purchased the penthouse and engaged her in her first decorating job. This is how she sees me, he thought. He's never given much consideration to his surroundings before, simply satisfied that everything was of the highest quality but now it all seemed anemic, so lifeless, now. Not a home a for Caroline Forbes, he concluded.

Without turning on the light, he walked down the few stairs leading to the living area and situated himself on the large leather couch. Running a palm over his face, Klaus still could not shake the gnawing feeling in his gut. He'd ruined it. It hadn't even begun and he already managed to chase Caroline away. Not that he was that surprised; he had a unique ability to sabotage himself in every arena, save business. He was a petty man, he knew – petty, arrogant and hard. Although generally considered negative attributes, they kept Klaus aggressively competitive and extremely successful. If you had something that he wanted, he would find a way to take it from you. His star could could not shine unless he diminished yours.

Like father like son, he thought bitterly. As much as he hated the man, Klaus was painfully self-aware; he knew that the apple had not fallen too far from the tree. Although, that had not always been the case. Klaus had not always been the cruel, selfish man he is today. It took one accident and many years of cold indifference coupled with profanity-laden tirades from his father along with pained, heartbroken looks from his mother that brought him to this place. Caring, loving is what opened him up to such hurt and so he swore those emotions off long ago.

His eyes ran over the open surfaces of his shelves and tables. No pictures or mementos decorated this space commemorating moments of his life, save one frame Rebekah left tucked on the corner of his nightstand. Klaus closed his eyes and recalled every detail of the photo that he kept hidden in his drawer unless his sister was visiting. In it, the siblings were all so young with wide smiles as they huddled together in front of the stables at the family manor located just outside of London. The Mikaelson's had always been talented, avid riders and none were so naturally gifted as Klaus. Most of the siblings had to share horses but, upon discovering his middle son's ability, Michael purchased a prized horse for Klaus alone to ride. It was Elijah who came up with the name Balder, the Norse name meaning prince for the headstrong steed.

Siblings being siblings, they were all competitive but no one ever resented the special attention Klaus received as he won various equestrian competitions. He had just won a regional steeple chase title when the picture was taken and he was beaming with pride, his eyes focused on the gleaming trophy being held by his youngest brother. Klaus began getting choked up at the image. Henrik was barely taller than the trophy but he had insisted on holding it for his big brother. No one was more enthusiastic about Klaus's success than the youngest Mikaelson. This was one of the last photos ever taken of the boy.

It wasn't long after the competition that the accident happened. After weeks of Henrik begging and pleading to ride Balder, Klaus finally acquiesced and took the excited boy out to the stable. The rest of the siblings, save Rebekah, were out hunting so it was just the two of them in the paddock. Perched atop the massive beast and wearing the world's biggest grin, Henrik looked even younger than his years. Klaus lead the horse around the paddock for close to an hour, never removing his hand from the animal.

"I think that's enough for today," Klaus said, leading them back to the stable. Noting the disappointment cross Henrik's face, Klaus added, "we'll come back out tomorrow. It won't be long until I have you jumping!"

Offering a goofy grin, "Really? Do you think I could start competing like you?"

Klaus chuckled at the young boy, "Soon, you'll be my biggest competition."

Klaus brought the horse in front of the stable and let go of the reigns just long enough to bring a stepping stool over for Henrik to use to dismount.

The scene still played in slow motion in Klaus's mind. In the seconds is took for him to retrieve the stool, a shot rang out in the distance, spooking Balder and causing him to rear up in fear. And just like that, Henrik fell to the ground and began writhing in agony.

Gathered in the emergency that evening, the family found out that Henrik broke his leg. Odd, the doctors said, considering it was not so dramatic a fall. They wanted to do more tests.

It was two days later when they were told that it was bone cancer.

It was that night that Mikael went to the stable and shot Balder.

It was only a few months later that the doctors gathered the Mikaelson's to confirm that the bone marrow treatments were unsuccessful and that they would have to proceed with the first amputation.

It was a year from the time of the accident that the family was again gathered, this time at Henrik's gravesite.

It was that evening that Mikeal looked to his middle son and hissed, "it should have been you, boy." Eyes glassy with tears, Klaus looked to his mother whose dead eyes offered no protest at her husband's declaration.

Klaus exhaled deeply, refusing to think any more about the past. He was no longer that weak boy so easily moved to tears. He gained wealth and power in his own right, refusing to rely on his father. Klaus took the poorly performing asset management business of his family's empire and turned it into the crowned jewel within a few short years. Then, with the support of his investors and the hard work of Stefan and Caroline, he usurped complete control of the company and cut all ties with his father.

His thoughts went back to Caroline. She was barely twenty when he met her and a young woman when she became one of his closest advisors. At work she was his conscience, always pulling him back from going to far, interceding on his behalf when he did, protecting others when things didn't go his was and he inevitably reacted hostiley. But no one will be there to protect her, he thought. After what he said to her today, he wouldn't be surprised if she resigned – what hope did he have of her agreeing to marry him, now? All that he worked for would be ruined by his own hand and just because he felt hurt and he lashed out. The old man would be so proud, he thought.

Wallowing deeper in his own dark thoughts, Klaus almost jumped when he felt the buzz of his phone notifying him of a new text message. Grumbling at the disruption, Klaus reached for his phone.

"Expect a revised contract tomorrow morning," it read.

Klaus closed his eyes, relief spreading throughout his body. He looked around the room one last time before gathering his keys from the foyer table and making his way down the hall. Once he reached the last door, he slipped the key in the lock and entered his studio. Being one of the few rooms that did not have floor to ceiling windows, Klaus had to find his way to one of the lamps to cast a dim light on the room. He approached the old apothecary that nearly ran the expanse of the wall and housed most of his painting supplies. He opened the drawer and there looking back at him were Kol and Caroline in their top hats and Stefan with his noisemaker. Just to the side he found himself, eyes bright and grin wide. And in that moment he realized that this was the first time he'd seen himself truly happy since the death of his little brother.

Klaus closed the drawer, turned off the light and locked the studio with the beginnings of a small smile playing lightly on his lips.


	6. Chapter 6

The Contract: Chapter 6

I want to thank everyone, again for the kind reviews. This started as a lark and now I'm having so much fun writing it!

To **readeroffanfic**: Thank you for suggesting that I add some exposition on Klaus's character. I was planning to delve into his character slowly over the course of the story but I think it was probably best to give a healthy amount of background in the last chapter to help explain his motivations/actions.

To **Mystery Girl3**: No, Kol did not die. Henrik will be the only Mikaelson to die in this story. Kol is very much alive and will be one of the primary characters in the story very soon – in all his twisted glory! Sorry for the confusion.

If I continue, this will be a long story! I hope you guys have patience and, as I do not have a beta, I hope you don't mind that it's all kind of thrown together!

Disclaimer – I am not a lawyer so much of the detail re: the contract may be off. My apologies to everyone in the legal profession!

Klaus sauntered into work wearing his favorite of the many Savile Row custom made suits that lined his walk-in closet. It was navy with just a whisper of a white pin stripe and the material felt like butter to the touch. The clean lines of the tailoring served to enhance Klaus's lithe but toned physique. The look was complete with the fine cotton shirt donning his initials over the chest and the white gold cufflinks Elijah gave him upon graduating from Oxford. He wore this particular suit only on special occasions – when he closed a big deal.

Walking through the lobby, Klaus could feel the eyes of men and women pouring over him. Men wanted to be him and the women, well, they wanted to be underneath him.

Klaus was buzzed through the turnstile by Security without showing any identification and made his way to the executive elevator bank that went directly to the 28th floor. Klaus exited the elevator with a bounce in his step and a hand in his trouser pocket; his finger tracing the edges of the small box that lay inside. The CEO walked passed his assistant who was dutifully seated at the desk placed just outside of his office. Klaus stopped before he reached the door and turned to the girl.

"April?" The girl raised her head to face him, a deep blush blooming on her pale cheeks.

She sucked in a trembling breath, "yes Mr. Mikaelson?"

Klaus placed a finger to his lips as he seemed to contemplate something. He shook his head having changed his mind and asked, "How was your weekend, sweetheart?"

The young brunette was struck dumb. She scrambled to pull herself together. "It, um, it was nice. Thank you for asking, sir. And yours?"

April was worried that she may have over stepped her bounds by asking him what could be considered a person question. Personal questions were considered socializing and socializing was strictly verboten at Mikaelson & Co.

"It was lovely, sweetheart. Tell me, has Ms. Forbes been by?"

"Yes, Caroline, I mean Ms. Forbes dropped something off for you on your desk around 8. I know you don't like anyone in your office when you aren't here but she said it was highly confidential and that you would be expecting it." April bit her lip and waited for the harsh words that were sure to follow.

"You've nothing to worry about, April." He chuckled, noting the girl's discomfort. "No harm done."

And with that, April's boss of four months walked into his office and closed the door. The girl took several long, deep breaths attempting to slow her pounding heart. Oh my God, she realized, he actually knows my name!

Klaus spent the morning busy with conference calls and catching up on emails. It wasn't until just before lunch that his attention turned to the confidential envelope that lay unopened on his desk.

Truth be told, he had not anticipated things to run so smoothly – for Caroline to accept his proposal so quickly. In fact, he was sure that he would have to enlist Elijah in the madness after swearing him to secrecy. While he did not trust him completely, Klaus knew his brother would understand how dire the situation was and would be a sound voice of reason for Caroline. While they did not have the light, intimate relationship she shared with the Salvatore's, the two developed a great deal of respect for each other when she interned at Elijah's company the summer after her Sophomore year. The relationship evolved into an easy friendship once Klaus's elder sibling became involved with Caroline's then roommate. Klaus would hold that introduction against Caroline until his dying breath…or, better yet, Katherine's.

And then, after the appearance of that speed bump nee Damon Salvatore, Klaus thought all hope was lost. He couldn't help but feel smug that Damon had been unable to exert his influence upon Caroline and convince her to reject his offer. It looks like the elder Salvatore, a man who believed there was no argument he could not win, was bested by one intractable blonde. The Fortune 500 CEO smiled – he could commiserate, he thought, opening his desk drawer to ensure for the 100th time that the small box still lay where he placed it earlier that morning. He closed the drawer satisfied.

Klaus picked up the parcel on his desk and fingered the lip of the opening. The package was a bit heavier than he remembered… Suddenly concerned, Klaus reached for the letter opener and quickly removed the contents of the envelope.

"What in the bloody hell!" he muttered, his hands clenched around the pages until his knuckles paled to white.

What had begun as a succinct 27 page document had grown to a 60 plus page tome riddled with mind-numbingly detailed amendments, conditions and remedies.

Barely able to contain his anger, Klaus gave the document a cursory review. His fury grew exponentially with the turn of each page. Klaus slammed the document on his desk and intercommed his assistant.

"Tell Caroline Forbes to get to my office now," he roared.

"Ye, yes, Mr. Mikaelson," April stammered.

Klaus stood and walked to his window, which offered a picturesque view of Madison Square Park. His hands gripped either side of the pane while he rested his forehead against the cool glass. Klaus liked to consider himself the consummate poker player when it came to closing a deal: he never showed his hand and his face never betrayed his thoughts. The Brit turned his back to the window as he seated himself on the thin ledge. With his elbows balanced on his knees, he lower his head to his hands knowing that he was ill prepared for this scenario. Caroline knew how important this marriage was to Klaus's livelihood and his legacy, she knew the way he thought and could write a book on the way he operated during contract negotiations. Yes, Klaus thought, this was not what he expected when he woke up this morning.

His head jerked in the direction of the phone when he heard his assistant's timid voice issue forth.

"Um, Mr. Mikaelson, Car- Ms. Forbes is in a meeting with the head of HR and said she would call you when she is done."

"Oh did she, now" he hissed. Klaus's jaw clenched and he launched himself from the ledge and flung open the door.

Glaring down at the little mouse seated in front of him, "where is she?" he growled.

April unconsciously pushed her chair back as she looked up at her boss. Her mouth hung open as she took in the face normally so handsome and composed but now twisted and feral. April hesitated, worried for Caroline.

"Where?"

"Her office," she squeaked, shrinking further into the recess of her chair.

Klaus began to stalk away when he suddenly turned to face the pale faced girl again. "Didn't I fire you on Friday?" he growled.

"Um…, yes sir."

"Then why are you still here?"

April looked to the floor, hoping it would swallow her. "Caroline said that technically I work for her, too, so you can't fire me without her approval." April flinched, anticipating an onslaught of verbal abuse. What she received was even scarier.

Klaus nodded his head, seemingly possessed before he said in a low whisper, "pack your things and get out of my sight."

He turned to leave when his former assistant found the courage to call out, "what did I do wrong?"

Without breaking his stride, Klaus responded wearing an evil smirk, "you broke the rules, sweetheart. You know no one is to have access to my office when I am not in…"

Caroline furrowed her brow while reviewing the spreadsheet before her. "Well, we won't have an idea of the New Business headcount projections until the new group head begins but I think the other department numbers are on target."

Meredith gave a sigh of relief, "Thank God! Caroline, you have no idea how much easier life is for me and the entire HR department now that we only have to interface with you for headcount."

Caroline nodded in understanding.

"I felt like 'He Who Shall Not Be Named' would drag this process out just to watch us squirm. I mean, I can't even count the number times Klaus barked at me to cut heads but we run such a lean operation already. There was never a way to do it without business suffering."

"You know Klaus. He believes that if everyone worked as hard as he does that we would only require a third of our staff. He doesn't take into account that not everyone is as brilliant or as motivated as he is. I mean, he may be awful but he is a genius at what he does. Of course that does include terrorizing me," she offered, commiserating with her friend.

The door to Caroline's office flew open to reveal the CEO, his face close to crimson and the veins in his neck bulging over the line of his collar.

"Speaking of the devil," Meredith muttered.

Klaus approached Caroline's desk and threw the contract with such force that the neat piles of her paperwork were displaced.

"What in the bloody hell is this, Caroline?" he asked, biting out each individual word.

Caroline moved from her seat to collect the rogue papers that landed on the floor.

"Well, it looks like a grown man throwing a temper tantrum," she replied sarcastically while returning the items to the desk.

The two began what could only be described as a staring match. Feeling uneasy, Meredith gathered her materials and spoke up. "I think I will be going, now."

Finally acknowledging his HR head, Klaus responded, "yes, I think that would be wise."

Before Meredith exited the office, she turned to Caroline and mouthed "will you be ok?"

Caroline saw this from the corner of her eye and gave a curt nod.

"So, Caroline" Klaus began, pointing at the contract, "would you care to explain what you and that baboon you call a lawyer were thinking when you came up with that rubbish?"

"What we were thinking was that I need to make sure my interests are protected before I agree to anything."

"Protected?" he asked in disbelief. "I can only posit that reading comprehension isn't your strong suit, sweetheart, because the contract Alaric put together was extremely straightforward and more than fair to you. It read that we will get married by May, separate on the same date next year and then you will receive a more than generous cash payout. I'm not sure what 'protection' you would require in that scenario. So, in case you need me to dumb it down more: if (A) you marry me and (B) remain married to me for one year then, (C) you will be a very wealthy woman. A + B = C. Do you understand now or should I find a slow 5 year old who can better explain it to you?"

Narrowing her eyes, Caroline began, "oh I understand perfectly well, Klaus. You want me to sign my life away for the next year without knowing what I'm walking into. Damon and I just made some changes to reflect what we believe to be reasonable expectations and limitations as it pertains to my role as your wife."

"Some changes? Reasonable?" Klaus spat, reaching to grab the damnable print. Flipping to the amendments, "so you believe it is reasonable for a man of my status to get married by a Justice of the Peace? You do know that people will expect a proper wedding. Actually, not even a proper wedding, they will be expecting a bloody spectacle!"

Caroline shook her head adamantly, "I will not get married in a church full of all the friends will be lying to. You may have already begun paving your path to Hell, but I don't plan to join you."

Klaus let out a groan. "I think you're missing the bigger picture, love. Being who am and my media presence, don't you think my friends, family, colleagues – even INS for God's sack - will find it odd that I have suddenly decided to eschew the limelight to be married by some underpaid court appointed official in some dank courthouse frequented by lowly criminals."

"What, instead of the white collar criminals you generally surround yourself with?" she scoffed " While I understand your point, a big wedding is simply impossible when you consider the time constraint. How do you expect to plan some grand wedding in 6 weeks? It's can't be done."

"You have to adjust your perception of time when you become rich, Caroline," Klaus mocked. "Time is not an obstacle if you have enough money." He was not going to concede the point but decided to move on.

"And what is this about you throwing dinner parties once per month?"

"It's simple," she deadpanned. "I throw a dinner party for about 10 of my friends each month and, as I assume I will have to move in with you for the next year, I will have to host it at your apartment."

"Ten people? In your apartment? Where do seat them – the hallway?"

"Fine, forget it," she muttered rolling her eyes, "I'll just continue using my place."

Klaus immediately reacted to that. "There will be no 'your place' when we're married, Caroline."

Caroline opened her mouth to protest but Klaus cut her off, raising her hand, "fine, you get your dinner party."

"And you can't be there," she added, offering him a defiant glare.

Klaus pursed his lips in displeasure. "You would kick me out of my own home? You take too many liberties, love."

"Damon and Katherine come," Caroline said sweetly.

"Fine," he growled. "I will ensure I am otherwise engaged on those evenings."

He seated himself to face Caroline and flipped the page. "And what is this regarding your employment contract? If I violate any of your four main stipulations you will have the option to leave the company fully vested at the conclusion of our marriage," he paraphrased. "Now I have always suspected that Damon had a severe learning disability but I expected much more from you." With that, Klaus tossed the papers back on the desk and waited for Caroline to reply. "Why would I ever agree to such nonsense?"

Picking it up and pointing to the language to which Klaus was referring, Caroline calmly replied, "I do not think it is too much for me to ask to be released fully vested if you violate one of these items. Your contract states that I will forfeit all payments if it is discovered that I've engaged in a romantic or sexual relationship outside of the marriage in Alaric's version. I've simply added what you can refer to as my deal breakers and the consequences should you violate any of them. As one of mine also stipulates that you engage in no sexual congress with a third party. I would think that you would find that more reasonable."

"Sexual congress?" Klaus placed both hands on the desk and leaned across the surface until the two were nose to nose. His eyes blazed a trail of fire from her eyes to where they settled on her plump rosy lips. Taken off guard by his suddenly proximity, Caroline swallowed uncomfortably. "And how long has it been, sweet Caroline, since you've engaged in," he paused and smirked suggestively,

'''sexual congress'?"

Caroline shot daggers at him. "You're disgusting," she huffed, crossing her arms over her chest.

Klaus sat back in his chair looking satisfied. "That's what I thought. You know, you might not be quite so prickly if you did – engage in sexual congress, I mean." He lowered his gaze, giving her a slow appraising look. "You know, I might be convinced to help you with that. I would have to reduce your final payment by a zero or two as compensation, of course, but you might be able to talk me into it." His eyes travelled back to hers.

"Not if you were the last man on Earth." Caroline rose from her chair, opened her office door and held it in hopes that he would get the not-so-subtle hint and leave.

Klaus tilted his head to the side, his back still facing Caroline. "The lady doth protest too much, methinks," he quoted before rising. He buttoned his suit jacket and walked to face Caroline at the door.

"Tell Damon to expect a call from my lawyer."

"I'll be sure to give him the message," she replied, her voice dripping with sarcasm.

She's almost closed the door successfully on her tormenter when he stuck out his hand, arresting her movement.

"Oh, before I forget sweetheart, I will happily accept one of your amendments. I agree to be slapped for every time I, how did you phrase it, "breach your lips with my tongue"? You see," he said, moving closer and raising his hand to gently place a stray curl behind her ear, "I like to mix a little pain with my pleasure."

And with that, he left leaving Caroline clutching the edge of the door for support.


	7. Chapter 7

The Contract: Chapter 7

Thank you to everyone for your reviews. Writing definitely does not come naturally to me, so every one of your messages has helped me stay motivated!

You may have noticed that there hasn't been much Steroline even though I have described them as best friends. You will get some bff realness in this chapter but, in general, this story will not be overly heavy with Steroline interaction. It's more because they have a relationship that doesn't require that doesn't require constant maintenance, it is strong on its own. I hope that becomes clear because there will be some things that will happen that will test the two I don't want anyone to doubt the depth of their friendship.

This is a short chapter but I needed to get through some of the heavier stuff. I hope to have a longer one tomorrow. It should include Kol's big entrance!

By Wednesday, negotiations between the two camps had gone from bad to worse and were now back to just slightly hovering around bad, again. Caroline and Klaus strictly avoided each other; all communications regarding the contract were relayed via Alaric and Damon. Stefan was acting as the conduit at work, as necessary. However, the two could not escape their physical proximity. Caroline's office was situated slightly further down and across the hall from Klaus's executive suite. Klaus found himself keeping his double doors open so he would have a clear view of the elevator, which lay directly across so he could catch the occasional glimpse of the defiant blonde.

Klaus currently found himself awkwardly perched upon an end table nestled in the corner of his office while pretending to be deeply absorbed in whatever random financial report he had in hand. He'd only recently discovered that this particular spot afforded the only good vantage into the glass façade of Caroline's office.

Whenever he instructed his current temp to deliver his latest round of edits to Caroline, he would quickly adopt this same contrived pose to watch her reactions. And she always reacted. Caroline, had she been born in another decade, could have been a silent movie phenomenon as she rarely needed words to relay her feelings.

With the all of the back and forth between every round of edits, the words of each iteration began running together to his bleary eyes. So, to keep things interesting, Klaus began subtly inserting colorful language that became increasingly ridiculous with each pass.

Klaus watched intently as he saw Caroline scanning the newest materials. Even from this distance, he could discern the deep shade of red overtake her lovely visage. Once he saw her reach for her phone, he returned to his desk and waited for the inevitable. Minutes later his phone rang.

"Alaric," he answered jovially, "how are you on this fine morning?"

He could hear his General Counsel release a deep sigh, "I would be a lot better if you children could play nice so we could get this show on the road."

"You know you, really shouldn't mix your metaphors, mate, but not to worry, I understood your point." While he'd been working with the Klaus for years, the CEO was well aware that the man did not like him. As such, Klaus always enjoyed getting in a jab here and there. He leaned back in his chair and placed his feet on his desk. "So, am I to gather from your remark that Ms. Forbes did not agree to my last addition?"

"No, she did not." Alaric replied, his voice dripping with sarcasm, "I'm sure you will be shocked to discover that Caroline is, in fact, not amenable to what you referred to in the contract as "Naked Sundays."

Klaus swallowed his chuckle but could not contain the impish grin that broke across his face. "Pity, I really thought I was on to something there."

Struggling to harness his frustration, "Listen, Klaus, we've made some headway this week but we are not much closer to getting this thing signed than we were on Monday. We're spinning our wheels here and, I don't know about you, but I don't have an unlimited amount of time to devote to you and Caroline verbally sparring."

The CEO looked towards his monitor at page of emails that remained either unread or unanswered. Yes, he had to agree that things had gotten out of hand and he was behind in his work as a result.

"What do you propose?"

"Clear your schedule for tomorrow. In the morning, you, me, Caroline and Damon will sit in your conference room and no one leaves until we hash this out and come to an agreement."

Reluctantly, Klaus responded, "fine, call Salvatore and make the arrangements."

"Knock, knock."

Caroline turned her eyes from her computer to find a very welcome face peeking from behind her door.

"Hey you," she replied with a sweet smile. "what's up?"

Stefan walked to the chair across from Caroline and sat with a small shrug, "I happen to have a free hour so I thought I would have lunch with my best girl."

"Awww, I'd love to!" she said, reaching into her desk to retrieve delivery menus. "What do you feel like? Indian, Greek, Chinese," she cut her eyes to the handsome man in front of her and continued, "hmm, maybe not considering your chopstick skills, perhaps we should forgo Chinese…"

"Actually," Stefan began, "I thought we could go out for lunch."

Caroline gave her friend an incredulous look. "Out, as in out out?"

Stefan nodded.

"As in leaving these four walls for a meal?"

Stefan chuckled, "you know it does happen. In certain parts of the world, it's considered normal to eat at least one meal a day away from one's desk."

"Tell me more about this mystical place, Salvatore."

"Come on," Stefan said, rising from his seat and gesturing for her to join. "It would be good for you to get a break from this place. Plus, we haven't spent much time together lately and I need some quality time with my best friend."

"Well, when you put it like that…"

Caroline stood and gathered her blackberry and purse and walked around her desk to exit with her friend. Stefan quickly removed her purse from her shoulder and then pried the blackberry from her hand.

"You will not be needing either of these," he tutted, placing them back on her desk and then gently pushing her towards the door. "Lunch is on me."

"But my blackberry," she stuttered.

"An hour, Caroline," Stefan admonished, "I intend to get one hour of your undivided attention.

"Wow, big spender," Caroline said, taking a bite of her hotdog. "Do you spoil all of your ladies like this?"

The two were seated on a sun-drenched bench in Madison Square Park while they enjoyed Shake Shack hotdogs and milkshakes.

"Only the lucky ones," Stefan retorted.

"How is it that you Salvatores can always talk me into eating crap food," she wondered, her eyes rolling back in the ecstasy that was her chocolate shake.

Chuckling, "I think Damon and I are both pretty good at helping people make bad decisions."

Caroline joined him in his laughter while shaking her head. "Isn't that the truth!"

Stefan looked around to see if anyone was near before he hesitantly asked, "so…, how are things going? Are you and Klaus making any headway with the contract?"

Caroline placed her drink to the side and narrowed her eyes at her friend. "Is that what this is about?" she asked, gesturing to the hotdog in her hand. "What, Klaus thought that you could get me hopped up on chocolate milkshake endorphins and then I'd just give in? And after what that pervert had the nerve to send me today?" Caroline could feel herself getting worked up which only made Stefan begin to laugh. "It's not funny," she bit out. "Just the thought of "Naked Sunday's," she began, giving an involuntary shutter. "Whether he was joking or not, I'm going to have to have every seat in that apartment steam cleaned. If only I could do the same to wipe that image from my mind." Caroline stuck out her tongue as if she was gagging.

"Calm down, Forbes," her friend said. "Klaus did not send me to drug you with chocolate. I'm asking because I'm trying to understand what reservations you still have after Klaus has basically given in and agreed to most of your demands."

"There are still a few things that he won't budge on and, I'm sorry, but I just won't sign anything until he does."

"Like what?"

Caroline turned to look at her friend, concern written across his face. This was one of the many reasons she adored Stefan Salvatore – she never doubted how much he cared for her. And she reciprocated in full. If there was such a thing as a friend soul mate, Caroline had been lucky enough to find hers. If anyone could understand her how she was currently feeling, it was Stef.

"Klaus wants to turn the wedding into some kind of three ring circus," she began, her brows beginning to furrow. "He wants a big church ceremony, hundreds of guests…he even wants media coverage."

"And you don't want that," Stefan finished for her.

"Stef, I can't do it. I can't stand in a church in front of God and everyone I love and lie. I mean, I'm not a religious person but even I feel like it's almost blasphemous."

"People do it every day," her friend offered.

Caroline scowled at him. "Yeah well, one Forbes standing at the alter, crossing his fingers while promising 'till death do him part' should be enough. I don't want to make it a family tradition," she muttered.

Stefan now understood what was affecting his friend so. "Look at me Caroline," he said while lifting her chin until he was looking directly into her eyes. "You are nothing like your father. You and Klaus will both be walking into this with the same expectations; no one will get hurt. You'll both know that the vows don't mean anything."

"But that's just it!" she argued, her voice becoming thick with emotion. "I will be making a mockery of vows that I actually believe in. I feel like it's going to give me bad karma or something." Her voice became softer as she added, "And I think my karma is bad enough."

Stefan sucked in a breath. "Is that what this is really about?" he asked.

Caroline looked up at her friend with her big blue eyes. Of course he would know what she was referring to. "I already planned the big church wedding, Stef. I can't do this." She shook her head as her lip began to tremble. "You were supposed to walk me down the aisle... It would have been this time last year, you know…you were going to walk me down the aisle to Matt and he and I were going to promise to spend the rest our lives together."

Stefan draped his arm around Caroline's shoulders and pulled her close. "I know," he said, placing a kiss on her temple.

Tears began welling in Caroline's eyes. "I can't do what Klaus wants. Every time I even consider it, all I can do is remember that this is something I was supposed to share with someone else. Matt and I should be celebrating out one year anniversary but instead I'm going to be exchanging rings with a man who hates me."

"Matt was a coward. He couldn't hack it the big city so he ran back to Mystic Falls with his tail between legs…"

"But why couldn't he take me?" her voice broke. "I promised him that if he didn't find a job that I would move back with him."

Stefan gently wiped a stray tear from Caroline's cheek. "You would have been miserable back there, Care. You know that."

"No," she said shaking her head, "no I don't.

Stefan decided not to press the point, confident that he had spoken the truth.

"And Klaus does not hate you," he added, almost as an afterthought.

"What? How can you say that? Not only does he hate me, he actively tries to make me miserable. It's like he revels in my pain. I mean, speaking of Matt, Klaus knew that my engagement had been broken off and that I was not in a good place and what does he do? He kept piling on more and more work and then he sent me across the globe for business that could have been handled just as easily from my office here."

"But it helped you, didn't it?"

Caroline looked at her friend, taken aback, not understanding.

"I mean it got your mind off of the break-up, didn't it? You got to get away from everything that would remind you of Matt – your routines, your apartment… And you got to see some of the world."

Caroline scoffed, "are you trying to tell me that he sent me away because he took pity on me? Maybe we're talking about a different man, Stefan, because Klaus Mikaelson is not one to take sympathy on anyone."

Stefan chuckled softly before becoming serious. "One thing that you have to accept about Klaus is that there is little in the way of black and white with him – its mostly shades of gray. I'm just saying that you should never take what he does or says at face value." Caroline was unconvinced.

"You'll see, Care."

Deciding to return to the previous topic, Stefan asked, "if the wedding was smaller, if it was completely different than what you planned with Matt, would that help?"

Caroline paused in thought and then gave a slow nod. "I think it would be less overwhelming for me. But I can't get married in a church. That's the experience that I want to have with the man I love, if by some miracle I actually find someone..."

"Let me talk to Klaus." Caroline began to shake her head. "Before you start to argue, I won't go into details. I think he'll agree to a smaller wedding in another space. However, you need to give something up, Caroline. Look through your list and decide what you are willing to compromise on."

"I can do that," she said, feeling so grateful for her friend.

He pulled her closer for another small hug before saying, "it's probably time for us to get back to work."

"Yeah," Caroline sniffled, "we don't want to upset the boss man."

The two disposed of their trash and walked towards their building.

"And just so you know, I have no doubt that you will find someone," Stefan said almost offhandedly.

Caroline gave a weak grin and asked, "How can you be so sure?"

Stefan turned to her, his hands in his pockets and offered her an exaggerated shrug. "Because you, Caroline Forbes, are a hard person not to love."

I just want to credit the best friends are tiers line to Mindy Kaling.


	8. Chapter 8

The Contract: Chapter 8

I'm glad people seemed to like the Steroline moment in the last chapter!

I'm sorry that my chapters are so short but I am trying my hardest to make the characters read as close to canon as possible. I just wish the TO writers would do the same…

And I'm sorry but I had to bump Kol, Katherine and Rebekah to the next chapter.

Klaus checked his watch, again, and began tapping his fingers on the conference table.

Caroline reached across and placed her hand over his to halt the sound that had already begun to rankle her nerves. "Can you not?" she asked, removing her hand.

She then looked to the man to her left. "You're sure that Alaric knows we're supposed to be meeting now?" 

Damon raised his hands in a 'what can I tell you motion' and said, "I can only assume he knew considering he's the one who arranged this little pow wow."

As if on cue, Alaric came bustling into the room looking wan and disheveled, clutching a messy array of paperwork to his chest with one hand and a coffee mug in the other.

"So nice of you to join us, mate," Klaus greeted the man.

Alaric seated himself at the table and attempted to put his crumpled documents in order. "I apologize for the delay but Damon said the meeting was to be moved up to 9," he supplied weakly.

Damon tilted his head, "Did I? Must have slipped my mind." He looked the General Counsel over and continued, pretending to be concerned, "Alaric, man, are you feeling ok?" Motioning to Alaric's face, "you're looking a little green around the gills."

Alaric stilled his hands and looked up to see Damon giving him a devious smirk.

"You," he whispered his eyes widening with a sudden realization. He began pointing to the dark haired man across the table. "You set me up!"

Caroline and Klaus looked between both men, completely confused.

Alaric continued, "you didn't just happen into my office last night! And you meant to lose that bet!"

"I don't know what you're talking about," Damon said innocently. "I dropped Caroline back at her office last night after we went to see The Dark Prince's apartment and that's when I decided to pop my head in on my old college buddy. Where's the harm in that?"

"No," Alaric said shaking his head, "you contrived the whole thing – showing up, making that crazy bet…"

"Wait, what bet?" Caroline interjected. "What did you do, Damon?"

"We just bet on some random pop culture trivia, Alaric won fair and square and, being the honorable man that I am, I paid my debt to him."

"You bet me a bottle of Pappy Van Winkle that Martha Stewart was on Bay Watch!"

Damon turned to Caroline, "Martha Stewart, Pamela Anderson…I got my blondes confused. It was an honest mistake."

"Hardly!" Alaric scoffed. "I should have known that you couldn't be that stupid."

"Don't beat yourself up, mate," Klaus offered, "we all think Salvatore is that stupid."

"Wait," Caroline asked, still trying to piece everything together, "what is Pappy Von…"

"Pappy Van Winkle," Damon finished for her. "It's a rare Kentucky bourbon and," he added looking at Alaric and baiting him, "I hear it's delicious."

Alaric's mouth dropped. "You son of a bitch. What were you drinking all night?"

"I may have asked that pretty little waitress to give me round after round of iced tea. You see, it would have been irresponsible of me to drink the night before such an important meeting. I would never jeopardize the welfare of my client like that."

Klaus interrupted the confrontation before Alaric could launch himself across the table at other lawyer. "So, you lured my counsel into making some asinine bet, plied the well-known inebriate with alcohol and then lied to him about changing the meeting time in order to sabotage the proceedings. It is nice to see that you've managed to maintain your integrity, Damon."

Caroline gave her friend a scathing look. "What?" he asked incredulously. "So I lead the horse to water… I didn't force him drink the whole damn bottle!"

She shook her head in disgust before looking at the pitiful man across from her and pushed a box of Kleenex towards him. "Alaric, do you want to reschedule? You don't look so good."

He mopped him clammy brow with a tissue, while shooting daggers at Damon. "I'll be fine but thanks."

"Seeing as you lot have managed to waste even more of my time, can we get started?" Klaus said irritably.

"Ric, read through what we have so far," Damon requested, his blazer draped over the back of his chair and his sleeved rolled to elbow.

Alaric who had managed to regain some of his color after lunch began to read through the items the group had painstakingly debated, compromised on and accepted. "Caroline has agreed to take Klaus's last name and spend all major holidays/special occasions such as birthdays with him. They've agreed to meet for 3 hours each week to prepare for the INS interviews. In addition to that preparation, Caroline and Klaus will go on 2 dates per week so they can be seen in public as a couple Caroline is also required to accompany Klaus to at least 3 social functions each month."

Raising her hand to interrupt. "Can work events such as closing dinners be used to fill that requirement?"

Before Alaric could consider it, Klaus snapped, "No." The nitpicking on every point by both sides had finally exhausted his last bit of patience. Finding he could no longer contain his frustration, he added, "And at these events you will behave like a typical lovesick newlywed instead the icy shrew you are. That means you will hold that sharp little tongue of yours, you will attempt to will yourself not to roll your eyes at my every comment and you will kindly refrain from drinking yourself into a stupor and tarnishing my image."

Caroline folded her arms over her chest and pouted.

Taking it further, Klaus added, "speaking of image, you will soon be marrying into one of the wealthiest families in this industry and I you will need to begin dressing the part, sweetheart."

Caroline looked down at the simple sheath dress she wore paired with a blazer in shade of heather gray. "What's wrong with my clothes?"

Klaus gave her a quick once over, his face impassive. "While you may be intent to single handedly keep Ann Taylor Loft in business, I'm afraid that attire is not suitable for my wife. Not to worry, I will be happy to pay for a new wardrobe for you that you may keep after the term of our marriage." He took a pen from his jacket pocket and added, "I'll just write myself a little reminder to speak with accounting about that… Perhaps I can write if off as a charitable donation."

Caroline looked around the table for something she could throw. Damon managed to pull her arm back as she moved forward to grab Alaric's mug; fully aware of his friend's intent.

"Come on Barbie," Damon started, "if he wants you to blow his cash playing dress up, I say do it. Live a little…" He gave Klaus an icy glare, "You deserve to have at least fun in this miserable marriage."

"Whatever. Next topic" she muttered.

Klaus spoke up before Alaric could open another topic for discussion. "Before we move on, I would like to further discuss my expectations as it relates to our image. I will provide a generous monthly stipend for you to use on wardrobe and whatever you wish to spend it on. This will be completely separate from the final payout you are to receive at the conclusion of the marriage. I expect you to use this money on keeping up your appearance. That means you will have your nails done, get a facial and everything else women who actually care about their appearance do," he said matter of factly. "You will also do something with that nest on the top of your head."

Caroline's hand involuntarily reached to the bun she wore on her crown. Oddly, she found herself at a loss of words at this attack on her appearance.

"And outside of work, I wish for you to wear your down. I am not sure who told you that this dour headmistress look suited you but let me be the one to tell you, love," his voice lowered to a mocking whisper, "they are not you friend."

"Hey, hey, hey," Damon said putting up his hand for Klaus to stop his tirade, "back off."

Caroline caught Alaric tilting his head from side to side while giving her an odd look.

Noticing his stare, Caroline huffed, "What Ric?"

"It's just, I've know you for a while now and I don't think I've ever seen your hair down. I couldn't tell you if it's short, long…"

Damon sent him a look like 'really?' "You aren't really helping, buddy. Can we move on," he asked looking at Klaus, "or are you going to suggest we send her on _Extreme Makeover_?"

"No, but you do bring up a another point, Salvatore." Klaus tapped his finger on his lips why looking Caroline over, ignoring the look of complete disdain on her face. "Speaking of extremes, you may not make any drastic changes to your appearance. If you do, there will be a financial penalty. For example, if you get a tattoo or some ridiculous piercing I will deduct $100,000 from your final payout." He looked at his lawyer briefly, "that seems fair, don't you agree."

Alaric put his hands up in surrender, "don't rope me into this."

Caroline had to chuckle at his gall. "Do you really think I would disfigure myself somehow just to embarrass you?" she asked.

Klaus looked her in the eye, "Love, you are as petulant as you are determined. I've been around you long enough to know that you would cut off your nose to spite that pretty little face of yours."

"And you think fining me that kind of money is reasonable?"

He nodded in confirmation.

Still incredulous, she asked, "Ok, let's say I walk in one day as a brunette or I get a pixie cut, you're really going to take $100,000 from what is intended to be used for charity?"

"A pixie cut?" Again, Klaus turned to his counsel. "Alaric, make the fine 1 million."

Caroline was beyond exasperated but decided to concede to these ridiculous demands. She wanted to save her energy to fight later battles.

"Fine," she said, waiving her hand dismissively. "I'll get new clothes and wear my hair down occasionally," she stated, stressing occasionally. "I'll look like the perfect Stepford Wife. Ric, can we finally move along?"

"Well," the lawyer said faking a cheery smile, "I'm glad that's over." Returning to his list, Alaric read, "Caroline will live with Klaus for the duration of the marriage…"

"Yeah, about that," Damon raised his hand to interject, "we want to talk about the living arrangements."

Klaus looked at Caroline, an eyebrow raised. "Does my penthouse not meet your standards or are you simply uncomfortable in a place that offers indoor plumbing."

Damon stopped Caroline before she could tear into Klaus.

"Well we went to see your crypt last night and I have to say, it's pretty homey for a mausoleum," Damon ridiculed.

"Had I known you would be accompanying Caroline on that little reconnaissance mission, I would have been sure to count the silver prior to your arrival, Salvatore."

"You wound me," Damon said clutching his chest. "As I was saying, we took a little tour of your place and everything looks fine. However, I do have to ask about that one locked room… Let me guess," Damon's began waggling his eyebrows, "is that your red room of pain?"

Caroline grimaced. While her curiosity had been piqued when she initially came across the locked room, she finally decided that she'd prefer not to know what Klaus had housed on the other side of the door. What could be so private that it was necessary to keep under lock and key when Klaus had always lived alone?

"Let's not go there," Caroline said, steering the conversation back on course. "The point I think Damon was eventually going to get to is that I intend to move into the guest bedroom."

"Absolutely not," Klaus said forcefully. "you will share my room. I can't very well have my housekeeper or anyone else see that we aren't sharing a bed. Mikael and INS have eyes and ears everywhere. End of discussion."

Damon chuckled softly, waiting for Caroline's head to explode.

"End of discussion? I don't think so," she said, nostrils flaring. "If you think I'm sharing your bed for one night much less 365, you're delusional. God only knows what I would catch! Probably some rare hybrid STD like…like chlamydiherporrehea!" she stammered, flushed with anger.

Damon threw his head back with laughter, thinking about the combination of the 3 diseases.

Klaus looked between the two seated across from him and saw red. His jaw clenching, "I'm sure your lawyer, there, could tell you all you need to know about suspicious venereal diseases."

Damon stopped laughing and offered Klaus a challenging smile. "No, I'm a firm believer in safe sex. Just ask your sister…"

The room became so quiet you could hear a pin drop. Caroline gulped in the air, now so thick with tension. She looked between the two men, expecting bloodshed.

Inexplicably, a smile began to stretch across Klaus's face as he turned to the blonde. "Ok, love, you win. You shall have the guest room and your very own bed."

Caroline stared at the man, shocked by his abrupt change of heart. "Really?"

"Scout's honor," he smiled, lifting his two fingers to pledge his sincerity.

"But, you must break your lease and move in immediately."

Again, the blonde groaned.

This time Alaric interceded on behalf of his client, "Come on Caroline, work with us here."

"I just thought I wouldn't move in until after the wedding. And it's going to take me time some time to get a move organized…"

Caroline saw that Klaus was noticeably perturbed. "You're stalling, Caroline."

"No, truly I'm not." Attempting to be conciliatory, she said, "Listen, I should be able to get everything packed quickly. I mean, I'm really just taking my clothes and I'll leave my furniture there. It's just going to take me some time to find someone to sublet it."

"You intend to keep that apartment?" he asked incredulously.

"Yes," she responded simply, as if it was a silly question. "I have to have a place to live a year from now."

"But you'll have enough money to get a place 5 times that size! Why would you possibly want to go back to that hovel? And what will it look like to INS if my wife is still keeping a separate residence?"

"First of all, that 'hovel' is the my home, I love it and I if I want to grow old and die in it with my seventeen cats licking at my carcass, it won't be any business of yours. And secondly, every dime I get out of this deal will be going towards my foundation. I have no intention to burn through my money living in something like the Fortress of Solitude you have."

Klaus scowled, "you are being unreasonable, sweetheart. Need I remind you of all there is to lose if it is discovered that this marriage is a sham?"

"Do I need to be reminded?" asked, finding the question ludicrous. "Between the two of us, I have the most to lose! If this is exposed, you get sent back to your posh London home. But me? I can say 'goodbye' to ever working on Wall Street again and let's not forget I could go to prison!" she exclaimed, looking to Damon for support.

Noticing he was otherwise occupied penning doodles on his notepad, Caroline smacked his arm to get his attention.

"Oww," he said, rubbing the site if the attacked. "Yeah, we have to keep Barbie out of prison… I mean have you ever seen her in orange?" he asked making a face.

"Damon!"

"I'm joking! Why don't you sublet your place to Bonnie? I mean it's close to the hospital and it won't look suspicious. You can say that you didn't want to break the lease and incur a fee and so you had your friend move in. If INS asks, you can say that you intend to have the rental agreement transferred into Bonnie's name once your lease is up." Satisfaction gleamed in his icy blue eyes. "Damn I'm good."

Alaric rolled his eyes, jotted a few notes and continued reading. "Moving on, Caroline has agreed to the honeymoon and Klaus agreed to shorten if from 2 weeks to 7 days."

"I hope you aren't prone to sea sickness, love," Klaus smirked.

"Oh no, why?" Caroline asked, knowing she wouldn't like the answer.

"Well, it was going to be a surprise but I've arranged for us to sail around the Aegean."

Caroline loved to travel in general; however, while the idea of island hopping in Greece was thrilling to her, she knew taking such a trip with Klaus would end with an international incident.

"Seven days?" she asked.

He nodded.

"On a boat?

He nodded.

"Just the two of us?"

He nodded.

"I would rather get kidnapped by Somalian pirates," she huffed. "Seriously, the two of us alone in a confined space for seven days? What are you thinking?"

"Whatever do you mean, love?" he asked in a sweet voice.

Folding her arms over her chest. "What I mean is," she said, leaning across the table to look him directly in the eye, "I hope you're a strong swimmer."

The Brit took in the image before him; Caroline, her stance challenging and her eyes fiery. Klaus remembered reading Norse mythology as a child and, now, here before him sat a Valkyrie. He had to tame the look of appreciation that threatened to cross his face.

"I might be persuaded to make some changes," he offered casually.

"We're listening," Damon said while stifling a yawn.

"If you agree to extend the honeymoon to, say 10 days, we can spend that time in the city of your choosing instead of taking the yacht. What do you say? We can go to Paris…, Rome…, Tokyo…"

"Paris," she blurted before he could finish.

"Are you sure?" he asked, somewhat surprised by her enthusiastic response. "I know you like collecting passport stamps, love, and you've been to Paris before." A feeling began swelling in Klaus's chest. Did that city occupy a special place in her heart as it did in his? His head began to swim with memories.

Caroline nodded nonchalantly, "That's exactly why I want to go. I have some familiarity with it so, if I need to escape you, I can. And," she added, "I think we should stay in an apartment instead of a hotel. We'll have more privacy."

Though disappointed by her reasons for choosing the City of Light, he could not help but give her a suggestive look when she mentioned privacy.

"I'm sure that can be arranged. I assume my family's little pied-a-terre is still to your liking."

Caroline had to fight rolling her eyes at his use of 'little' to describe the spacious five bedroom apartment located in the 7th arrondissement. "Yeah, I think I can make due," she returned sarcastically.

"God, I love a good compromise," Alaric said pouring himself another cup of coffee and popping 2 more aspirin. "Now, let's pray we can keep it going." He then turned to his boss, "Let's move on Caroline's employment agreement."

Damon sat straight in his chair and said, "I hate to break it to you Ric, but there won't any compromises. I don't think we're asking too much to ensure that Caroline can resign fully vested in M & Co stock and receive full payment should Klaus violate one of the four points we added to the contract. If during the marriage Klaus cheats on Caroline, is violent towards her, if he jeopardizes her reputation or if he manages to expose that the marriage is a sham she can walk out of this door and never look back."

Klaus's jaw clench at the offense they had just flung at him. "As much as she may deserve it upon occasion, I would never raise my hand to Caroline and I am appalled that you would ever think to add this to the contract."

"Not even I think you're dumb enough to lay a hand on Blondie but we have to cover all of our bases," Damon said in an effort to explain. "Personally, I have my money on you not being able to keep in your pants over the next 12 months. Based on your track record, Caroline will be a very rich woman before your three month anniversary."

Caroline snorted at the comment then quickly clamped her hand over her mouth; embarrassed by the unlady-like noise. When she was confident that no other noises were threatening to escape, she removed her hand and looked up from the table sheepishly.

"I know self-control is novel concept to you, Salvatore," Klaus bit out, and then turned to Caroline before he continued, "but I guarantee to you that I have every intention of being faithful to my wife."

Caroline found something unfamiliar in Klaus's eyes. She couldn't quite place the emotion but felt something akin to an electrical current move between the two of them as there eyes locked. She suddenly felt uneasy holding his gaze.

Oblivious to the silent exchange between the soon to be marrieds, Damon continued, "Good, then you won't mind if we have that added to the contract. Now, the event we have all been waiting for!" He began drumming on the table with his hands. "The wedding. My lovely clie-"

Klaus waived Damon off. Without moving his eyes from Caroline's, he said, "About the wedding…, I've reconsidered. I think you were right, Caroline. As we've very little time to organize the kind of affair I had envisioned, I would amenable to scaling it down to something more intimate."

"Caroline?" Damon asked, jolting out of her private thoughts.

Oh my God, she realized, I was just staring at his lips. Please tell me no one saw me staring at his lips… Oh my God I'm looking at them again, she blathered internally. But there was something about the way he spoke that that last word that drew her eyes to the pout that she so often found herself wanting to punch. Have they always been so red? Is he wearing lipstick, she wondered? Oh my God, I'm going insane. I'm tired and hungry and…

"Caroline?" Damon said raising his voice to get the blonde's attention.

"Sorry," she said clearing her throat, "I just spaced out for a moment."

Klaus smirked. He'd noticed her eyes lower as well as the burst of color that grew upon her cheeks; he suspected he knew where her mind had just been.

"You'd be interested in having something more intimate with Klaus, right," her friend asked, completely unaware of the double entendre.

"Yes, Caroline," Klaus said with a lacivious grin, "would you be interested in that."

Caroline was secretly happy to see her boss revert back to being his usual arrogant self. She was much more comfortable dealing with him when he was acting like a cretin…

"That would all depend on what you have in mind. And I assume you want something in exchange."

"You assume correctly, love. I will agree to a smaller affair – let's say no more that 150 people. We can host both the ceremony and reception at my family's home in the Hamptons. In exchange, you will agree to go through all other wedding traditions – from the engagement photos to the rehearsal dinner - you will be a willing participant. We will even observe the smaller customs, including the bride and groom gift exchange." Klaus squinted his eyes as he tried to recall something. "I believe Elijah gave a Katherine some ostentatious bauble just before they married."

The blonde giggled softly, remembering her friend's excitement at receiving what was probably worth more that the GNP of some countries. "It was a limited edition diamond Cartier watch."

"_It_, sweetheart was atrocious and just as gauche as the woman who wears it."

"Didn't Finn make some huge donation to build a girl's school in Africa when he married Sage?" she asked

"Yes," Klaus replied. "And I think he organized for an entire village to receive vaccinations for their fifth anniversary. Quite the romantic, my brother" Everyone at the table laughed at the mention of the black sheep of the Mikaelson family. Klaus would never understand his oldest sibling. He had so much potential but squandered it all to pursue medicine and join Doctors Without Borders so could change the world with his hippy of a wife.

After a moment, Caroline spoke up. "If you bump the guest list down to 100, you have a deal." She whould have liked to reduce the number to 50 but knew that Stefan must have convinced Klaus to make this change for her; she need give a little in return.

Klaus sighed. Of course Caroline would have to have the last word in these negotiations. "As you wish, love."

"So we're done!" Damon said tossing his pen on the table and closing his portfolio.

Alaric raised both arms and began to stretch. "Thank God," he said and stood up along with the rest of the group. "I don't think I could have taken much more. Klaus, I'll have this on your desk tonight so you can both sign first thing in the morning."

As Damon collected his materials, he asked the other lawyer, "What do you say we finish writing this up in your office and then you and I go for a drink?"

Caroline looked to Alaric, expecting the man to reach and snap Damon's neck after the trouble he caused the previous evening.

Alaric paused and asked, "You buying?"

"Naw man, like last night, this is on Blondie here," he said patting Caroline on the shoulder.

"Wait, what?" she exclaimed.

Damon feigned a contrite look, sucking in a deep breath. "Yeah," he breathed out, "you may want to go to EMP to settle a rather healthy tab that I may or may not have placed in your name."

"Damnit, Damon!" she exclaimed, smacking him on the chest. She had to admit to herself, though, that a bottle of expensive bourbon was the least she could do for a friend who'd put everything on hold to help her over the past week.

"Come on, want to join us?" he asked, moving to the side so Klaus could step through the door leading to his office.

An idea suddenly came to Caroline. "On my last night of freedom?" she asked while typing a message on her phone. "I think I might have others plans," she said, her voice light with mischief.

Klaus tensed slightly at her words. A familiar sense of jealousy began twisting in his gut as he considered what Caroline's plans could involve. There was only one way to find out, he thought darkly.

The group exchanged good night's and exited the conference room.

Caroline had just made it to her office when she her phone chimed. That didn't take long, she thought as she read the message.

_Our place at 9?_

She typed her reply and then began the long process of catching up on work, still slightly frazzled by whatever held gone one between herself and Klaus. She conducted a quick internet search on low blood sugar before becoming convincing herself that not eating was the behind that odd episode.

Caroline put in a few hours of work before gathering her purse and heading for the elevator.

Tonight will be just what the doctor ordered, she thought.


	9. Chapter 9

The Contract: Chapter 9

I'm sorry that it's taken a couple of days to update – insomnia is killing me and my motivation.

I want to thank everyone for the kind reviews. I was losing my motivation so all of your messages were appreciated greatly. I hope to have another update by tomorrow.

For those who like this basic storyline, check out Marriage of Convenience by Chel 90210 – it's smutty and awesome!

Klaus watched as the numbers above the elevator slowly began to light up, one by one, as it ascended. The CEO ran his hand through his hair and released a tired sigh. He'd suffered a restless night, unable to quiet his mind. What was causing the gnawing feeling that was currently so firmly rooted in his gut? He should have slept like a baby now that he and Caroline had finally come to an agreement. If he was honest with himself, he knew the reason but refused to acknowledge it. Unable to sleep, he'd attempted to read but found himself unable to concentrate, laying his book to the side. He then made himself a drink and pulled out his sketchpad. Sketching was his personal meditation; it allowed him to disconnect from the world around him. He ran the pencil absentmindedly across the page, content to turn off his mind and allow his hand to direct the image on its own. Slowly, he became aware that a familiar pair of eyes began to haunt the page, forcing him to put down his pencil.

The truth was that Klaus's mind had been whirling with a variety of scenarios regarding Caroline's 'last night of freedom', each more distasteful to him than the next. He knew that he was being ridiculous. There was no rational reason for the unease he was feeling. He attempted to justify it as natural curiosity. And how did he rationalize what he'd arranged the night before? Simple due diligence; perhaps even protection on the investment he was about to make. He was to tie himself to this woman for the next year – of course he should be interested in her private affairs. While he knew from Connor's prior work that Caroline was not dating anyone, he'd never considered that she could be involved in something more casual in nature. If that was the case, he should be aware of it so he could monitor her closely and ensure she did not continue any intimate relationship she may have. If such a breach of trust was discovered, it could undermine the marriage and both would suffer the consequences, he rationalized.

But, was he prepared to have his darker suspicions confirmed, he wondered? The elevator bell chimed, indicating he'd arrived at his floor. Stepping into the reception area outside of his office, Klaus found the man he was expecting; file in hand.

"Mr. Jordan," he said, giving the man a curt nod.

"Mr. Mikaelson," the man private investigator returned.

"Let us move to my office," the CEO said, motioning for the PI to follow him.

The two were about to enter the office when Klaus suddenly realized something was out of place and stopped. Offering the man a tight smile, Klaus began, "Connor, why don't you go on in and make yourself comfortable. I will be in shortly."

Klaus returned to the figure seated behind the desk outside his door.

"April, dear, I fear I may be experiencing déjà vu. Could it be that you are actually here after I distinctly remember discontinuing your employment not once but twice within the last week?" he asked.

Expecting to watch the girl collapse into a puddle of tears, he was surprised to see her lift her chin defiantly and look him straight in the eye.

"Mr. Mikaelson, my lawyer advised me to return to work as you had no cause to terminate me. Additionally, he said that if you continue to treat me the way you do that I could sue the company for exposing me to a," April paused to consult the writing on the pad in front of her, "hostile work environment."

Klaus stared at the girl before him. Where was the timid little mouse he was used to? Did she honestly believe she could take on a giant like M & Co. – a corporation that has a roster of lawyers and money to burn? He would be quick to dispel her David and Goliath delusions.

He breathed out a soft chuckle. "So you've consulted a lawyer, have you? Well, you can tell whatever ambulance chaser you've been able to engage using all of the meager savings you've managed to scrape together that I have nothing but time and money to ensure any case you bring against me or my company will be tied up for years."

April crossed her arms over her chest, obviously undeterred. "He warned me that you'd say that."

"Did he, now?" Klaus asked, cocking an eyebrow. "May I ask where you procured this brain trust? The Yellow Pages? Perhaps you found a tasteful add on whatever public transportation you frequent?"

"No," she muttered. "I actually met him here. When I came in last night to pack the rest of my things I ran into him on the elevator. We got to talking about why I was leaving and he gave me this."

April reached out to hand Klaus the business card she'd been given the night before. "He even said he'd represent me pro bono. He said it would be his pleasure."

The veins in Klaus's neck began to bulge as he read the name on the card clutched in his hand.

"Bloody Salvatore," he hissed, crumpling the card and tossing it into the bin.

April sat back in her chair as she watched her boss stomp into his office, slamming the door behind him. She let out a deep breath and returned to her work.

Connor watched as the man he always found so composed comes stalking into the office red faced.

"Mr. Jordan can we hurry through this? I do not have much time and I would like you to leave before everyone is in the office. I like to avoid prying eyes, if you will."

"I completely understand, Mr. Mikaelson." The PI opened the file and began placing 8 x 10's on the desk for Klaus to view.

Klaus reviewed the photos as the PI began reading from his notes. "At 8:35pm, Ms. Forbes left the Mikaelson & Co. offices and I followed her to West 32nd Street." Connor pointed to several pictures documenting Caroline's movements.

"Korea Town? Was she alone" Klaus asked, incredulous.

Connor nodded and continued, "Unfortunately, it was so crowded that I lost her, so I went to her building and waited for her to return. At 1:15am, she and an unidentified dark haired male entered her apartment building," he said pointing to another set of pictures. "I was unable to get a look at his face to identify him."

Klaus examined them carefully. If he wasn't quite so familiar with Caroline's form, he may not have recognized her. She was wearing a man's blazer draped over her shoulders and her hair lay untamed by the usual knot. He traced his finger over the cascade of curls that fell to the middle of her back. When had her gotten so long, he wondered.

"When did he leave?" Klaus asked through a clenched jaw, positive he would not be pleased with the reply.

The jaded PI referred back to his notes and hesitated.

"Well?" Klaus asked forcefully.

"They both exited the building at 6:00am. The man hailed a cab going south and Ms. Forbes then walked to the gym."

Klaus studied the newest set of pictures, which, unfortunately, only offered an unobstructed view of Caroline. The man stood to the other side of the blonde, the side of his face hidden behind a hooded jumper. From what he could discern of his stature, Klaus concluded that it was neither Stefan nor Damon. He moved through the pictures, trying to contain the feeling of nausea that hit him when he came to last in the pile. There stood Caroline beside an open taxi, the man leaning in to kiss her cheek.

"Mr. Mikaelson, I don't want to overstep but I monitored Ms. Forbes for several weeks and I've gotta say," the bald man added, scratching his head, "the woman is a creature of habit. She goes to the gym five mornings a week, leaves and walks directly to work, stays late and then returns home. Even her weekends are highly predictable: Saturday morning is yoga with her childhood friend Bonnie Bennett followed by volunteer work at the local animal shelter. The rest of her time is spent either with the same group of known associates that I listed in her file or at these offices. Taking someone home just seems very out of character for her."

Klaus mulled over what the man said and attempted to train his face into an impassive expression. Placing the file of photos in his bottom desk drawer he replied, "Thank you for your insight, Mr. Jordan, and for making yourself available on such short notice. That will be all." Klaus unbuttoned his blazer and took a seat behind his large desk.

Connor was taken aback by the abrupt dismissal. "Is there anything else you would like me to do? Should I continue to follow Ms. Forbes?" he asked.

Klaus offered the man a strained smile. "You are to do nothing for now. Thank you, again, for your service."

Klaus turned his attention to the final contract that Alaric left for him the night before. The words on the page looked like a jumble of letters to him, so absorbed was he recalling the images he'd just seen. He felt the overwhelming feelings of rage and disgust competing to take him over. He briefly considered calling Stefan to ask but thought better of it. Stefan was world's worst keeper of secrets and would have quickly divulged any information he had about a tryst upon Klaus's first mention of marrying his friend. Which meant that this was something Caroline was even keeping from her best friend. He opened his top drawer to reveal the small box he'd placed there earlier in the week.

"Welcome back, April," he heard before his door opened, revealing the blonde who had ruined his morning.

Klaus slammed the drawer with such force that his entire desk shook.

"Woah," Caroline said, "What did that desk ever do to you?"

Klaus offered her a stony expression. "What do you want Caroline?" he barked.

Caroline either did not notice or chose to ignore the gruffness in her boss's voice. She gestured to the pen in her hand, and offered the grump a winning smile. "I'm here to sign on the dotted line."

Klaus finally looked up at the perky blonde and remarked, "You're rather chipper this morning aren't you, sweetheart?"

With a slight shrug she replied, "I just had a great workout."

The vein in his neck throbbed and he couldn't help but mutter, "I'm sure you did."

"What?"

"Nothing," he replied, suddenly desperate to get her out of his office before he lost it and confronted her about her exploits from the prior evening. "I was just about to review the contract myself. When I am finished, I will have April deliver it to you for your review and signature."

Caroline took her bottom lip between her teeth, obviously contemplating her next statement carefully. "You know what," she said, uncapping her pen and approaching Klaus's desk, "in a show of good faith, I'll go ahead and sign it now."

"After a week of tying up my General Counsel, not to mention me, with pointless amendments and changes, you are suddenly willing to sign this sight unseen?" he asked, thoroughly befuddled by her change in attitude.

She offered him a shrug and leaned over the desk to retrieve the document under discussion. "Damon reviewed it last night and," she said, signing the contract and returning it to her boss, "like you said, I'm in a good mood today."

Klaus looked at the signature before him and was overcome with the desire to rip the paper into shreds at the thought of what had put her in such a magnanimous mood. He began taking deep breaths, knowing he was moments away from throwing a tantrum.

Caroline gave him an odd look and asked, "Klaus, are you ok? You're breathing kinda funny. Do you want water or something?"

Klaus held onto the edge of his desk in a death grip, hoping to transfer some of his tension onto the antique. "Not to worry, sweetheart. I'm just a little out of sorts from last night. I didn't get much sleep," he said, punctuating his statement with a lascivious grin. He knew he was misleading her but he couldn't have her believing he was sitting around waiting for her while she was having all of the fun.

Caroline rolled her eyes and turned to leave the office. "Wow, big surprise. I just hope that whatever you paid for will tied you over for the next 12 months," she said dismissively, her hand on the doorknob.

"Caroline, before you leave, we should go over our schedule for the next week."

"Fine," she said returning and sitting in the seat across from the CEO's desk. "What's the first stop on this dog and pony show?" Caroline's good humor was quickly fading now that she was faced with the reality of what was to come now that she had finally signed her life away.

Klaus noticed the abrupt change and wondered if it had anything to do with his earlier comment. "What's wrong, sweetheart? If you're upset about last night's activities, I can assure you that the trapeze and swing will be removed by the time you move you in," he said with a wicked smirk. "I wouldn't want you getting any ideas."

Caroline's face screwed up in disgust. "You wish. I find you repellant; the only way I would ever touch you would be if I was wearing a hazmat suit..."

"So you say. Now, as for our schedule, tomorrow evening we will be having dinner with my family at Babbo to announce our engagement. I will pick you up at 8 and please," he said, giving her outfit a critical review, "wear something that doesn't scream 'I've given up!'." Before Caroline could offer a retort, Klaus moved on. "I plan on asking my sister to assist you in procuring your wedding dress on Sunday. You should also…"

"Whoa, whoa, whoa, hold it right there," Caroline interrupted. "I may have agreed to participate in all of the engagement and wedding traditions but at no point did I ever agree to spend a day with Rebekah."

"She's my sister…," Klaus began.

"She's horrible!" Caroline countered. "And she hates me!"

"Caroline," Klaus said, narrowing his eyes, "Rebekah may be difficult but she is my sister and you will need to learn to play nice with her over the next year. We want the world to see one big happy family. Once we divorce, you two can revert back to the high school mean girl drama you both seem to thrive on. And, having her accompany you shopping is more for my benefit than yours."

"I've never been anything but nice to your sister," Caroline protested. "And I don't need her help finding a dress for my fake wedding. I can go with Katherine and Bonnie."

Klaus ran his hand through his hair in frustration. "If I leave it to the three of you, you will be walking down the aisle in either a burlap sack, a tube top and hot pants of some shapeless boho monstrosity and, honestly, I cannot decide which sounds more distasteful. No, you will be taking Rebekah with you. What she lacks in social skills she more than makes up for in taste, which is something the three of you lack."

"She has a black card," Caroline scoffed, "that does not equate to taste."

"That reminds me," Klaus said, changing subject and reaching into his wallet. "Here is my card," he said tossing the credit card in her direction. "You can use it until we get some in your name."

Caroline picked up the black card before her and was surprised by the weight of it.

Noticing her frown, Klaus asked gruffly, "What's wrong, now, Caroline."

Caroline looked up to meet his gaze, "I don't know. I guess I suddenly I feel a little cheap."

Klaus responded with a dark chuckle, "If you check the contract, you will see that you are most assuredly not cheap."

Narrowing her eyes, she responded, "This must be a different experience for you."

"How is that?"

"Don't most of your girls only take cash?" she asked caustically.

"Oh Caroline," Klaus began, "the biggest difference is that, to date, I've only paid women to leave; you I'm afraid I am stuck with. Now, if you are done, we have more to go over."

"Such as?"

"After your shopping excursion on Sunday, we will meet at my apartment to prepare for our first INS interview, which has been scheduled for Wednesday evening. I have a photographer coming on Monday evening to take our engagement photo so please prepare yourself for that."

"I'll try my best not to embarrass you," she huffed.

"Good. Katherine and Elijah's wedding planner is coming to the office on Tuesday so please have your invitation list ready. She has assured me that she can do something more tasteful than the glitter fueled travesty my brother paid for."

"Fine," Caroline said, sick of hearing Klaus besmirch her friend. "Are we done?"

Klaus gave her a thin smile, "All that's left is this," he said signing the contract.

"Great," she said, her voice thick with sarcasm. "I guess I will go back to my office and start dreading what is sure to be the most painful weekend of my life," she said stalking towards the door.

"Oh and Caroline," Klaus called out, again stopping the blonde before she could make her escape. She turned to see her boss looking through one of his drawers. She was completely taken off guard when Klaus abruptly tossed a small box towards her.

Barely catching it, she chided, "Some warning would have been nice."

She opened the small box and was struck dumb by what she found. Nestled in the plush black velvet sat a 4 carat radiant cut yellow diamond with white diamond baguettes on either side. It was the most beautiful ring Caroline had ever seen. The diamond was large but the setting was so simple that it looked refined instead of ostentatious.

She looked at Klaus, her mouth slightly agape. She wanted to thank him, to compliment him on his taste, to tell him how much she had never seen anything so exquisite.

"Klaus… I don't know what to say…," she looked up from the ring to see that Klaus was turned away from her, focused on his computer screen.

"I assume you know how to put one of those on yourself, love," he said dismissively. "And, not to worry, you may keep it after the divorce. I mean, what's one more for your collection?"

The smile died on Caroline's face and she left his office, slamming the door behind her.


	10. Chapter 10

The Contract: Chapter 10

Hi everyone! Thank you all for continuing to read and review!

I've received a lot of questions about when or if Klaus will ever stop being a dick to Caroline. The short answer in not for a while. This will be a very, very long ff so nothing will work itself out any time soon. The two will slowly get closer but, Klaus being Klaus, he will always lash out if he feels he has been slighted or hurt. And true to his character on TVD, he will tend to overreact and the punishment will rarely seem appropriate for the crime, so to speak. However, Caroline is not a pushover and she will defend herself. Unfortunately, I find myself much more adept at snark versus meaningful which probably speaks volumes about me…

I do intend to pepper the new chapters with more and more positive interactions with Klaus, though. And you will begin to get more insight into why he's done certain things to Caroline. To put it simply, Klaus isn't good but he has good intentions when it comes to her.

Also, if anyone has suggestions for the perfect wedding song, please let me know!

And a big thanks to **sarcasticcraccola **for PM'ing me to get my act together and type!

I own nothing regarding TVD…

Caroline expressed a deep sigh, unzipping the dress and throwing it on the growing heap of dresses she deemed unacceptable for dinner. She briefly considered wearing pants because, if informing Katherine of her impending nuptials went half as well as telling Bonnie, she would need to make sure she was wearing something that would allow her to run like a cheetah…

To say that her childhood friend was shocked would be putting it mildly. Caroline was pretty sure she watched Bonnie go through the five stages of grief before her very eyes. Well, perhaps just the first four…Bonnie was still working on acceptance when the two parted ways after a most uncomfortable breakfast. At first her friend thought she was being Punk'd, then as Caroline began to convince her that she was, in fact marrying the bane of her existence, the denial turned into anger. Bonnie was confused and hurt to discover that her friend could keep such a relationship with Klaus a secret from everyone, let alone her friend from the womb. Caroline felt increasingly nauseated with each new lie she told. We didn't want anyone to know at work, she explained. We wanted to keep it to ourselves until we figured out if it was going anywhere, she reasoned. It was a whirlwind romance. He's really, really great to me (I'm totally going to hell for that one, she thought). We're in love, she said, mentally cringing. The lies were like poison on her tongue but she'd agreed to the ruse and this was the price she had to pay. And as much as she hated lying, if the result was creating a foundation for children in need, then she would do it.

"Care, I have to ask, do you think you're rushing into this because of everything that happened with Matt?" Bonnie queried, uncomfortable asking the obvious and painful question.

The blonde couldn't help but offer her friend a small smile, so grateful to have someone in her life who cared enough to ask the tough questions. "I know this seems like it's coming out of nowhere but there has always been something between Klaus and me." she said, continuing to spin her elaborate yarn. "After Matt and I broke up, Klaus and I started travelling a lot together and one thing just lead to another and here we are."

"Getting in married…," Bonnie said, still clearly in shock.

Caroline only offered a nod in reply.

"In just a matter of weeks…" Bonnie continued.

"Yeah, about that," Caroline began, biting her bottom lip between her teeth, "would you please come with me tomorrow to look for my wedding dress? And," Caroline continued with a smile, "we should probably pick out some bridesmaids dresses for you, Kat and Elena."

Bonnie nodded and asked on last question before the two said goodbye. "Will this make you happy?" she asked, concern written all over her beautiful face.

"Yes," Caroline replied, relieved that she didn't have to lie this time. The end result of this marriage would make her happy, she reasoned.

"That's all I need to know," Bonnie said, offering her friend a fierce hug.

Her call with Elena was a pleasant surprise. Her friend actually sounded happy for her – concerned but happy. Even with all of the mayhem that day, Caroline managed to make her way to the animal shelter to walk Luc that afternoon. She told him of her plans to marry and received a sloppy lick on her face and a wag of the tale in response. At least someone's excited, she smiled while scratching him behind his ears. Three down, one to go, Caroline thought.

Caroline continued to search through her closet until she located the peach colored Zac Posen dress Katherine gave her after one of her modeling shoots. The bombshell told her it didn't look good on her – like that was even possible. Caroline knew that her friend wanted her to have something feminine and beautiful; however, Katherine being Katherine, she could not expose herself as being the sweetheart she is. Instead, she pretended to cast off the dress as not suiting her.

The truth was, Katherine (nee Katarina) Pierce Mikaelson, model by profession, Queen Bitch by birth was one of the most softhearted people Caroline had ever met. The woman had carefully cultivated the bitch on heels persona long before Caroline answered the Craigslist ad but it wasn't long after the blonde moved into the fledgling model's apartment that she realized she was all bark, no bite. Caroline thought back to that summer with Kat and was still somewhat amazed that she survived all of those late nights with her free-spirited roommate, much less that she'd managed to make it into work every day at Elijah's firm. It was towards the end of Caroline's internship that Katherine came to pick her up and successfully turned the boss man's head. It took three years of waiting patiently for Elijah to convince Katherine to give him a chance and only two more years after that before the two walked down the aisle. Caroline looked over the small sheath - maybe wearing this will keep Katherine from literally ripping me to pieces tonight, Caroline hoped.

She'd never worn the piece so, upon zipping up the back, she was happy to discover that it fit. She moved to the mirror and after giving a twirl she had to admit that she didn't look too shabby. The soft peach silk complimented her ivory skin beautifully and matched the natural blush of her cheeks. The dress was a fitted silhouette that fell below the knee. It was demure but the origami folds on either side of the hips served to accentuate the curves of Caroline's figure; the strapless bustier top with folded details highlighted her long, graceful neck. Caroline's eye fell to the top of the dress and she frowned slightly; she felt uncomfortable being so bare. She was also a little unnerved when she observed the sharp angles of her shoulders and back. She was aware that she'd lost a little weight over the past couple of years but did not realize just how much. I guess I don't really pay attention to how I look, she mused, recollecting all Klaus said about her appearance. She looked at the time and decided that the dress would have to do.

It wasn't long after she finished her hair and makeup that she heard the knock at the door.

"Here goes nothing," she thought, as she answered the door.

Klaus was standing in the hallway, his back to the door, and his phone to his ear.

How rude, the blonde thought. The two had not spoken since the prior morning and Caroline was in no rush to hear any more of his vitriol. However, she also wasn't going to be left holding the door open while he turned her hallway into his personal office.

She cleared her throat in an attempt to get Klaus's attention.

"I don't like this at all, Stefan. Kimbay bringing in consultants from Bain is a show of bad faith as far as I'm concerned," Klaus spoke into the phone as he slowly turned to cross the threshold into Caroline's apartment. He looked up to see her standing in the doorway, a hand on her hip and scowl on her face and he stopped dead in his tracks. His eyes moved over the blonde and he sucked in deep breath.

"Listen, mate, I'll need to call you back later," he said, not even waiting for a reply before he ended the call.

His throat suddenly went dry and he felt compelled to loosen his tie in hopes that it would help him begin to breath again. Gods, she is stunning, he thought.

So absorbed was he in his thoughts that he didn't realize that he was still standing in the hall until he heard Caroline bark, "Are you coming in or not?"

"Ye, yes of course," he stuttered, slowly regaining his composure and willing himself to move forward.

"What was that about Kimbay? They're bringing in Bain to advise on the sale?"

Klaus looked at the woman like she was speaking a foreign tongue. Noticing his apparent confusion, Caroline asked, again, "Kimbay – they've brought in Bain?"

"It appears so," Klaus responded in a monotone.

Caroline was frustrated by the succinct reply but when she turned to press her boss further, she noticed him studying her.

"What?" she asked, steeling herself against whatever snide remark he was sure to make regarding her appearance. "I'm sorry if you don't like the dress," she said, smoothing the material with her hands, "but I spent most of the day alternately lying to and begging for forgiveness from my friends so I didn't exactly have time to shop for something new."

"The dress is fine, love," he said in a soft voice.

Something about his tone and the way he continued to look at her made Caroline uneasy. It was unusual for him not to immediately offer his opinion, so something was off.

Caroline fingered the curls that fell over her shoulders. "Is something wrong with my hair?" she asked, nervously rambling. "I was going to put it up but I'm not really used to wearing strapless so I kept it down to cover my shoulders."

When Klaus didn't reply, she felt pressured to continue babbling. "Fine, I have a cardigan that I can wear over this and then I can put my hair up. I'll just…"

Klaus reached out and gently grasped her wrist, "Don't," he said simply. "You look beautiful as you are, love."

Caroline followed the hand on her wrist up to the pair of eyes looking down at her. "You mean, I look beautiful for me, right?" she scoffed, confused by his flattering comment.

"I mean you look you beautiful, Caroline," he said, looking over her face, appreciating the light hand she took with her makeup. Her eyes were decorated simply with mascara, highlighting the shock of blue within; her lips and cheeks were stained with the same light peachy-pink color and her skin was pale and luminous. She was stunning. Without thinking, he removed his hand from her wrist to brush the mass of golden waves from her left shoulder, exposing the gentle curve of her neck. "Perhaps you should consider something similar for our wedding day."

Suddenly feeling exposed, Caroline backed away to retrieve her simple cropped white cashmere cardigan. She became aware of the tension in the air and offered nervously, "Let's see if I survive tonight's dinner before we start talking about the wedding dress. Baby steps."

"Yes," was all Klaus offered as a reply, his gaze still trained on Caroline's face.

He abruptly seemed to break himself out of his trance and checked the time on his watch. "We should be off."

Busy putting on her cardigan, Caroline asked Klaus to retrieve her purse from the counter. As he was about to hand over the small bag, he noticed a conspicuous absence from her hand.

"Caroline, where is your ring?"

Caroline looked to her hand absentmindedly and replied, "Oh, I haven't put it on, yet. I didn't want anyone to see it before you made the announcement so I was just going to bring it in my purse."

Klaus pursed his lips and waited a beat before unzipping the bag to produce the small box. "Now this won't do at all, will it?"

With slow, deliberate movements Klaus plucked the delicate ring from the velvet fold, discarding the case on the counter. He looked to Caroline, expressing his silent request for her to extend her hand. The young woman placed her small hand in his, careful to move her eyes from his heavy gaze. With slow, deliberate movements, Klaus smooth out the fingers of the blonde's left hand and carefully slid the ring upon her finger. A pregnant pause elapsed before the Brit raised Caroline's hand to his face, as if for closer inspection.

"It fits," he murmured and before Caroline's mind could grasp what was happening, Klaus placed a brief, chaste kiss to the tip of her finger.

Caroline released the smallest gasp as she pulled her hand away. "What was that?" she asked.

"Isn't this what men do when asking for a woman's hand?" he asked, pleased to have befuddled the blonde with such a small gesture.

Caroline furrowed her brow and shook her head, trying to regain her bearings. "I think most men opt for the whole going down on one knee thing."

Klaus offered a wicked smirk, "Sitting prostrate at a lover's feet? Such gestures are for lovesick fools, sweetheart. Not quite appropriate for us, wouldn't you agree?"

Caroline gave a curt nod.

"Well then," he said, offering her his arm, "shall we?"

Caroline spent the entire car ride staring out of the window, trying to twist her fingers into knots. The car pulled in front of the restaurant moments ago and, yet, Caroline made no move to leave the vehicle.

"We will need to get out of the car at some point, Caroline," Klaus said, his voice even and calm.

"I know," she whispered.

"What's going on in that head of yours, sweetheart?" he asked, reaching out to stop her hands from fidgeting.

"This isn't going to work, Klaus. I may have been able to convince Bonnie and Elena but I am never going to make Katherine believe this. She is going to see right through me. And then, well then she is going to water board me…"

Klaus smirked, "I think you're giving Katarina too much credit, love. She doesn't seem like one to concern herself much with anything that doesn't directly impact her or spending my brother's money."

Caroline directed an icy glare at her boss, "Enough, ok? If I have to play nice with Rebekah, then you have to stop bashing Kat."

Klaus sighed, "Fine. Now, speaking of Rebekah and water boarding, we will need to get ourselves inside before too long or we may both be subject to her particular brand of torture."

As Klaus entered the private room, he noticed everyone had already been seated behind the large round table, the champagne already poured and placed at each setting. He did not want to admit it, but he, too, felt slightly uneasy at the prospect of making this announcement. He'd asked everyone to come because he had something important to discuss with them and he was sure he would be inundated with questions before he even had a chance to seat himself.

In the moment before his presence was known, Klaus was able to look around the room at the most important people in his life. There was Kol – the personification of ID – draining his glass while regaling Katherine with what Klaus could only assume was some tale of his hedonistic exploits; the Bulgarian model, clad in skin tight Roberto Cavalli had her head thrown back in loud, bawdy laughter. Meanwhile, to Katherine's left sat the ever-composed Elijah who was attempting polite conversation with his sister while the blonde seemed more preoccupied glaring across the table at her other brother and Katherine, hoping to shame them into quieting down.

Caroline halted midstep when her eyes fell on Katherine but, placing his hand on the small of her back, Klaus managed to rather ungallantly propel her forward.

Elijah was the first to notice the couple hovering in the doorway. "Niklaus," he said, buttoning her blazer and standing to greet his brother before turning to the blonde beside him. "Ms. Forbes, what a pleasant surprise. I did not know we would have the pleasure of your company this evening," Elijah said, offering her a continental kiss on the cheek.

Katherine strutted around the table to greet her friend with a hug. "Thank God you're here," she said, lowering her voice in a whisper. "You know how much I just love these family get togethers," she added with a roll of her eyes.

Seated firmly at the table, Rebekah spoke, "The key word in that being _family_." She looked at her favorite brother and began to pout. "I already have to deal with that one," she said, pointing an angry finger at Katherine. "Why did you bring her, Nik? Is she here to take minutes or something?"

"Now, now sister," Kol began, approaching Caroline and offering her a kiss on the cheek before pulling out the chair beside him, indicating for her to sit. "You are looking lovely as always, darling," he added before turning his attention back to the rest of the guests. "Based on Caroline's presence, I think I can now confirm that this little gathering has been orchestrated to honor of my recent elevation to the new Head of Business Development at M & Co."

"Congratulations, brother," said Elijah, as most of the table raised their glasses to toast.

"Kol, do not make me regret that promotion," Klaus huffed. "There will be none of your usual hijinx. That means you will keep your hands off of the female staff," he added pointedly.

"Well, I am sure Caroline here will be able to keep me in line. Isn't that right, darling?"

Irked by the predatory look on Kol's face, Klaus was about to shut his younger brother down with news of his engagement when Rebekah began to speak, her tone shrill.

"Kol, you imbecile, Nik can barely tolerate you so why in God's name would he throw a dinner in your honor?" she said snidely to the dashing young Mikaelson. She continued, turning her attention to her blonde brother with a satisfied smile, "It is obvious that tonight is to celebrate me getting the Ian Schrager contract this week."

Again, Elijah raised his glass to toast, "Fantastic news, Rebekah!"

In a show of boredom, Katherine began to study her nails intently.

"I will be in charge of decorating all of his properties in the Americas; I probably won't even need to take residential clients anymore." said Rebekah, basking in the attention of her brothers. "And I have you and Nik to thank for making the introduction," she finished.

"Actually," Klaus began, laying his arm across the back of Caroline's chair, "it was Caroline who first suggested Elijah make the introduction. Isn't that right, sweetheart?"

Caroline's face began to redden as all eyes moved to her. "It's nothing. I just walk past the Gramercy Park Hotel every day and I thought it might be a good opportunity for Rebekah. I mean, Schrager has so many hotels and I remembered from my internship with Elijah that the two do business with each other upon occasion. So -"

"But you didn't actually, do anything did you?" Rebekah sneered at the other blonde. "It was Nik and Elijah who actually made the introduction and it was my hard work and portfolio that secured the con-"

"I'm pregnant," Katherine blurted out.

All eyes whipped to the brunette who sent a shit eating grin to the female Mikaelson.

"Oh my God!" Caroline squealed, launching herself from her seat to fold her friend into a big hug. "When did you find out? How far along are you?" the blonde squealed with excitement. She then moved to embrace Elijah. The man who was generally known for his stoicism was now grinning from ear to ear.

"With all of this good news," Kol smirked while looking between Rebekah and Klaus, both seething, "I think we will need to order more champagne!"

"So?" Caroline asked, sitting back down and trying to prompt her friend to answer her questions.

"Well," Katherine began, tossing her dark curls over her shoulder and placing her hand over Elijah's, "we found out 7 weeks ago but we were waiting to tell anyone until after I got through my first trimester."

Caroline began excitedly clapping her hands, "This is so amazing!" Then, suddenly adopting a serious expression, she added, "Wait, when do you find out the sex? We'll need that to plan the baby shower…and decorating the baby's room!" Caroline stopped, noticing that there were two people at the table who were decidedly displeased with the news.

After initially being frozen in horror, Rebekah soon recovered. "You're reproducing with that," she asked, pointing to the dark haired woman.

Elijah issued a deep sigh, obviously disappointed by his sister's reaction. "'That' is my wife, Rebekah, and the mother of my child so I will ask you to show her some respect."

Katherine shot Rebekah a deadly look before turning to Caroline. "I'm thinking something intimate for the baby shower – maybe we'll limit it to just 100 of our closest friends. And it will be classy! Nothing like that mess Gisele and Tom hosted last year," she said making a gagging noise. "I mean after how hard we worked to conceive, we should make this a celebration, right?"

Rebekah let out a loud scoff. "Worked? Considering all of the experience you've had on your back, I wouldn't think getting knocked up would take much effort on your part!"

Kol laughed, spitting champagne across the table.

"Rebekah!" Elijah hissed, tying to subdue his wife who was attempting to throw her shoe across the table at the blonde.

Klaus's jaw clenched at the sight of the bedlam before him. Rebekah and Katherine were close to exchanging blows while Elijah tried to keep them separated. Meanwhile, Kol was doubled over in a fit of laughter. Caroline seemed to be looking around for the nearest exit.

"Enough," Klaus growled.

The group paid him no heed, their voices raised to a crescendo.

"I said enough!"

Klaus had to grasp Caroline's hand to keep her from escaping the pandemonium.

"Caroline and I are getting married!" he roared.

The room went quiet, save the champagne bottle that slipped from Kol's hand and slammed to the floor.

It felt like a millennium passed to Caroline before the silence was broken. Of course, once it was, Caroline wished everyone could have remained quiet.

"You," Rebekah hissed at Caroline. "You got yourself pregnant, too, you little trollop!"

"Wait, what?" Caroline gasped.

"Oh. My. God." Katherine breathed, "You're pregnant!" She gestured between Klaus and Caroline, shaking her head, "I do not approve of this - _at all_ but oh my God," she clapped. "We're pregnant! They'll be Irish twins!"

Rebekah threw her napkin at the Bulgarian, "That's not what 'Irish twins' means, you twit!"

"Leave her alone! You know that English isn't her native tongue," Elijah said before turning his attention on the couple before him. "Caroline, Niklaus…please explain."

Klaus adopted his signature smirk, "It's just as I said, brother." He draped his arm around Caroline's shoulders and looked deeply into her eyes. "I've asked you all here to tell you Caroline has agreed to marry me and I could not be happier. So, mark your calendars – the wedding will be on May 18th at the Hampton's house. I expect you all to attend," he said firmly.

"That's in 5 weeks!" Rebekah said. "Well, I guess that confirms that you knocked up the help, Nik." She turned to Caroline and spat, "I certainly hope you have the good taste not to wear white!"

"Shut your mouth, Rebekah, or the only thing that will be on tonight's menu will be my Louboutin lodged in your throat," Katherine yelled. "Caroline," she said in a lowered voice, reaching her hand across the table to clasp her friend's, "whatever situation you have gotten yourself into, we can help. We can help you raise the baby." The brunette then shot a glare towards Klaus, "You do not need to marry him just because he's the father. I mean, just because you made a drunken mistake – I am assuming you were blind stinking drunk – doesn't mean you have to be miserable for the rest of your life."

Klaus had heard enough and was about to tear into his sister-in-law when the woman beside him began to speak.

"I'm not pregnant but I am marrying Klaus." She brought her left hand to the one Klaus rested on her shoulder.

Again, the room went silent, the site of the ring on Caroline's finger confirming the information the group had just received.

It was Elijah who spoke up first, "Well I for one could not be happier to welcome Ms. Forbes into our family."

Caroline gave the man a small smile, "I think you can start calling me 'Caroline', now, Elijah."

"Of course," he said, "Now let us raise our glasses to toast all of the wonderful news we've heard tonight. Rebekah, Kol – here is to your recent accomplishments; Katherine – to our child and, to Niklaus and Caroline – to the beginning of a beautiful life together. Caroline welcome to the family."

Before anyone could take a sip, Rebekah muttered "I have to go to the loo before I get sick."

"Sister," Klaus called. He was about to go after his Rebekah to give her a piece of his mind when Caroline grasped his arm and shook her head.

"Just give her some time to settle down," she said softly.

Klaus felt himself calm under her touch. "Fine, but I will not tolerate anymore outbursts from anyone at this table!"

It was after this statement that Klaus realized that someone had been surprisingly quiet throughout the whole ordeal. He looked to Kol who was staring into his glass of champagne. Klaus had expected many reactions from his younger brother – merciless teasing, raunchy innuendo, promises to ruin the wedding but silence? Silence was not something Kol Mikaelson was known for.

"Kol, you have been eerily quiet this evening. Don't you have some something wildly inappropriate to offer?"

Klaus could feel Caroline tense under his arm. He gave her a reassuring squeeze, hoping she would understand that he knew how to handle his brother.

Kol downed the last of the champagne and, as he set the empty glass on the table he replied, "What is there to say?" He looked back and forth between the couple and continued, "Klaus, I'm not sure how you managed it but you have finally done something right." His eyes then settled on the blonde beside him. "Caroline is a wonderful woman which makes you a very lucky man." He picked up his empty glass and turned it upside down, the last thin drop falling to the tablecloth. "If we had more champagne, I'd offer you a toast but, as it is…" he trailed off.

"Actually," said the younger Mikaelson, "why don't I make myself useful and find that lovely bird who was serving us and order some more. I think we will all need it to get through this evening." And with that, another sibling left the room.

An hour and a half of discomfort later, the dinner was coming to an end. After some verbal sparring between Katherine and Rebekah, both finally agreed to a détente and to accompany Caroline to shop for her wedding and bridesmaid dresses the following day. Of course, this brought up the contentious subject of the wedding parties…

"I spoke with Esther this morning," Klaus began, "and she and Mikael may take time out of their busy schedules to attend. Finn is coming but will be leaving Sage as the baby is too young for such a long trip. So, that means I will have Finn and the two of you," he said looking between Elijah and Kol, "as groomsmen and Stefan will be my best man, of course."

Caroline, who had been undertaking calming visualization exercises in her head to survive the combative meal abruptly returned her attention to the conversation.

"What do you mean Stefan is going to be your best man?" she asked, getting riled up for the first time that evening. "Stefan is walking me down the aisle and then he is standing beside me."

Klaus patted Caroline's knee and gave her a condescending smile, "Don't be ridiculous, love. Stefan isn't going to be one of your bridesmaids."

"I'm not asking him to wear pink taffeta but he is my best friend and he'll be standing with me. You can choose one of your brothers to be your best man," she reasoned, hoping Klaus would see she was unwilling to let this go.

"Caroline, everyone is your best friend so you may choose from one of that lot." Klaus's hand tightened on her leg, indicating that he wanted to drop the subject

"Klaus, honey," she said with a sickeningly sweet smile, "'best friend' isn't a person, it's a tier and Stefan is on the top of the tier so he will be on my side. Besides he and I have been friends longer," she huffed. She placed her hand over the one Klaus had on her knee tried to pry it off of her.

"Stefan is also my best friend, sweetheart, and he will be my best man – end of discussion."

Caroline lost her last bit of patience and went from trying to pry the fingers off to attempting to crush them. The rest of the table looked between the two who were still wearing plastic smiles but were obviously engaged in war.

"If I may offer a solution," Elijah spoke up, hoping to assuage the growing tension between the couple, "why not have Stefan walk Caroline down the aisle and then stand beside you, Niklaus. Wouldn't that be the optimal compromise?"

"I would be amenable to that. Caroline?"

The blonde knew that she would appear irrational if she fought this any further. But still… "That would work but then the wedding parties wouldn't be even. You would have four and I would only have three – Kat, Bonnie and Elena."

It was then that the other blonde at the table began to conspicuously clear her throat.

Caroline gave Klaus a look that read, "Absofuckinglutely not!"

Klaus returned the look with a wicked smirk, "Well, you will have Rebekah as a fourth. I mean, she will be your sister, after all."

Caroline screwed her eyes shut and began to visualize pink bubbles while breathing deeply. She took a fork from what remained of her place setting and began letting her frustration out on it under the table. I can do this, I can do this, I can do this, she repeated like a mantra.

"Of course, honey," she smiled, "I would be happy to have Rebekah as a bridesmaid."

Smiling like the Cheshire cat, Klaus beamed at Caroline before leaning to her ear and murmuring, "that wasn't so bad, now was it?"

He punctuated his question with another squeeze to her knee before-

"Aaagghh!" Klaus screamed, ripping his hand from her leg. Examining the back of his hand, he could see deep indentations of fork prongs clearly evident.

"What's wrong, dear?" Caroline asked, feigning concern. "Did you get another one of the cramps?"

Klaus glared at her as she leaned in as if to check on his hand and whispered, "that wasn't so bad, now was it?"

Once the bill was paid, the group made their way outside to say their goodbyes and find their respective rides.

"Caroline," Klaus began, "I'm going to take Rebekah for a drink nearby so why don't you take the car home?"

"Ok," she answered, happy not to be included.

Klaus walked her to the car that was just on the corner and opened the door. Caroline waved goodbye to everyone but before she could get in the car, Klaus stopped her.

"Are you ready for your debut performance, love?" he whispered.

Caroline furrowed her brow in confusion. "Wha-?"

Before she could finish her question, Klaus pulled her in against his hard chest for a heated kiss. Caroline's mouth was still partially open as she had been interrupted mid word; Klaus took this as opportunity to deepen the kiss, his tongue invading her mouth for a brief instant. Just a suddenly as it began, the kiss was ended with Klaus pulling away and briskly pushing Caroline into the car before she could react.

"Goodnight, love," he smirked, while closing the door.

Fortunately, only he was close enough to hear Caroline banging on the glass, threatening to murder him before the car drove away.

It took Caroline all of 5 minutes to change into her flannel pajama set and ready herself for bed. The night had gone even worse than she expected and she knew this was just the beginning. Tomorrow she was to alternate between being Rebekah's personal punching bag and acting as a referee between the blonde and Katherine. And what was that kiss about, she wondered? As if the night hadn't been unsettling enough, Klaus had to act almost chivalrous at her apartment before dinner and then he laid that kiss on her before she left. Caroline became aware that she was running her finger across her mouth and quickly pulled her hand away.

"Uuggghhh," she groaned into her pillow hearing her buzzer sound.

"What do you want, Klaus?" she called as she made her way to the door.

Without checking the peephole, she opened the door to reveal a man with a mischievous look in his eye leaning against her doorframe.

Caroline let out a sigh, knowing she was in for it.

"Tsk, tsk, tsk," he said, wagging a finger at her before walking past her into the apartment. "Caroline Forbes, you have been a naughty girl, haven't you darling?"


	11. Chapter 11

The Contract: Chapter 11

This chapter gets kind of heavy, hope you guys don't mind. It will get lighter in the next chapter…

"Kol," Caroline sighed, "it's late."

"Exactly, darling," said the brown eyed Mikaelson as he seated himself upon her sofa, "this is usually when our fun begins."

"Kol, I'm tired after that debacle of a dinner. I need to get some sleep if I'm going to have the energy to cope with Rebekah for an entire day tomorrow. So, please, can we do this another time?"

"You will not get rid of me so easily darling so," he patted the cushion beside him, "have a seat. It's time we had a little chat, wouldn't you say."

Caroline knew entering into the situation that this confrontation was an eventuality but did it have to be tonight? She dragged herself to the sofa and flopped down, readying herself for the inquisition.

"So, Caroline, or would you prefer I call you sister now that you are to marry my big brother?" he asked, raising his eyebrows.

"Kol," Caroline said, not fully prepared to defend herself.

"I'm sorry," said Kol, "am I interrupting? Were you expecting your fiancé at this hour?" He looked Caroline over and smirked. "I mean you are certainly dressed for seduction, aren't you darling," he said, pulling on the front of her oversized long sleeved flannel top and pretending to look down the front. "How many people are supposed to wear this at once, Caroline? It's like the pajama version of a clown car…"

Caroline slapped his hand away, "they're supposed to be baggy," she argued, "and not that it's any of your business but Klaus has never complained about them."

"I'm sure he hasn't," Kol's grin became wicked. "I have to admit, I like to credit myself as being practically impervious to shock but you and Klaus certainly managed it with that little announcement of yours this evening. I mean, imagine my surprise upon learning that you've successfully hidden any relationship from me, much less one with my brother."

Caroline was twisting the materials of her shirt in her hands, hoping it would hide the trembling that had begun. "Well, my relationship with Klaus has been kind of a whirlwind and he and I decided not to tell anyone until we were absolutely sure there was something to tell. Plus, you and I haven't spent much time together recently…" she trailed off, knowing she was offering pitiful excuses.

"Really? You agreed to tell no one and somehow that included me? Didn't you think I had a right to know that my brother was stealing you out from under me? You didn't think to share that with me at any point during the night we spent together last week?" Kol finished waving his hands dramatically.

Caroline rolled her eyes at the man's histrionics. "Kol, he's not 'stealing' me from anyone and it's not like you ever share with me what's going on in your love life. I mean, everything I know comes through Jeremy who, by the way, seemed very upset that you didn't invite him to our karaoke night on Thursday."

Kol pointed an angry finger at the blonde, "Do not think that mentioning my boyfriend will divert me from my mission here tonight, darling."

Folding her arms over her chest, "And what mission would that be?"

Kol relaxed against the cushions and splayed his arms across the back, a smug grin upon his face. "To expose this little engagement of yours as a sham, of course."

Caroline paused, considering the best way to handle the situation. Diversion? Unless she suddenly developed pyrokinesis and managed to set her apartment aflame, she knew Kol would not be deterred. Make counter accusations? Naw, she could try to protest that she didn't tell him about being with Klaus because she knew he wouldn't understand/would meddle or because he never shares with her but Kol, a former debate champion, was not someone to engage in an argument. Honesty? With the confidentiality clause in her contract, that wasn't even an option. So, she found herself either feigning a narcoleptic fit or selling it. Come on Forbes, she thought, people still talk about your performance as Little Red Riding Hood in the 6th grade…, you can totally do this.

Caroline softened her expression and turned her face to look Kol directly in the eye. With a deep sigh she began, "Kol, I understand why you would be skeptical that Klaus and I could care for each other. I mean, no one was more surprised than I was," she said, giving a small chuckle. "We haven't always seen eye to eye and we argue constantly but there has always been this underlying tension and we finally gave into it. You know as well as I that Klaus is not the easiest person to deal with: he's moody, rude, inconsiderate, condescending, arro-"

"I think you were trying to convince me that you actually love him, darling," Kol goaded.

"Yeah, I mean, yes," Caroline gave herself a mental slap for going off script. "What I meant to say is that was the Klaus I used to know but he is a different man with me, now. He loves me and it's the kind of love that awakens the soul; that makes us reach for more, that plants the fire in our hearts and brings piece to our minds…"

Kol went from maintaining a straight face to bursting into laughter, "Did you really just try to quote _The Notebook_ to me? After all the times you've made me watch that bloody film, you thought I wouldn't recognize the blatant plagiarism?"

Caroline grimaced, knowing she'd been busted. "I wasn't plagiarizing, Kol," she huffed, "I was just borrowing… and it just so happens that Nicholas Sparks says it better than I ever could. BUT, to put it in my own words, Klaus is loving and sweet. He gives me his coat and holds my hands between his when I'm cold, he watches black and white movies with me on Sundays when I'm not feeling well and he knows how I like my coffee." Caroline adopted a dreamy expression as she continued to describe this perfect man who was most decidedly not Klaus. "He doesn't mind when I sing at the top of my lungs in the shower, he tells me I'm beautiful when I just wake up and he doesn't mind my PJ's." Caroline found herself choking up slightly as she realized she was describing the kind of love that she wanted but no longer believed she would ever find. "He looks at me like I'm the most important person in the room and I never feel like I'm second best," she finished, her eyes glassy.

Kol removed his arms from the back of the couch and reached towards the emotional girl. She leaned forward slightly and closed her eyes, awaiting his embrace. When none came, she opened her eyes to sfind Kol holding his hands on either side of her face like a movie director framing a shot.

"Ok, darling, let's try it one more time. This time with feeling…"

"Jerk," she cried, hitting with a pillow.

He began convulsing with laughter, "I'm sorry, my dear, but you will have to do a little more than wax poetic about your imaginary Prince Charming and work up some crocodile tears to convince me, the king of deception, that my brother hasn't somehow forced you into something untoward."

Caroline threw up her hands in defeat and stood. "Kol, I don't know what else to say to convince you. If you don't want to believe that Klaus and I are in love and getting married, that's fine. But as I said before, I should be getting to bed."

"Now darling," Kol tutted, "don't get your knickers in a twist. Come, sit back down because I now have a tale for you."

The blonde wasn't sure of what to expect but figured it would be best to hear Kol out. It wasn't like he was going to leave until he said his peace…

"So?" she asked, prompting him to begin.

"Prepare yourself, dear Caroline, for a tale chalked full of betrayal and intrigue. And feel free to stop me at any point if I lose you; you see there are some twists and turns in this story."

"Get on with it, Kol!" she huffed tiredly.

"Well, you remember Marisol Gray, don't you dear? She was about yay high and yay wide," he said gesturing dimensions equivalent to 3 feet by 3 feet with his arms. "Irish, blind as a bat and old as time itself?"

"Yes, of course I know her. She was Klaus's old assistant," she mumbled.

"Indeed but she was Mikael's assistant before that. I can still remember visiting my father's office as a child. Back then, Marisol was quite the fox, if I do say so myself. Always dressed to the nines, that one… She's the one who first made me appreciate the art of accessorizing."

Kol noticed Caroline making a face, "Don't you roll your eyes at me, young lady. You have benefitted from my deft touch with picking the perfect belt and earrings on more than one occasion. But I digress. As I was saying, Marisol had no children of her own and would spoil the Mikaelson children rotten when we came in; none so much as Nik. She positively doted on him. Over the years, Mikael essentially demoted the poor bird, opting for a younger model to sit outside his office. Of course, this would not do for Nik – she was one of the few people my brother could tolerate and vice versa. So, he had her transferred to the asset management company and she worked for him ever since. When he decided to move and run the company from US, he even paid to her to move her over; he set her up in a sweet little apartment in Tudor City."

"I know most of this, Kol. What's your point?"

"Patience, little one, I told you this was a long story. Where was I?" he asked, placing his finger to his lips causing Caroline to send him a quick kick in frustration. "Oh yes, so considering their past, imagine my surprise when I learned she was so abruptly dismissed from Mikaelson & Co. and at a time when she was just a couple of years away from collecting her pension. No, I thought there is something amiss here."

Caroline began looking around the room in an effort to look bored when really she was attempting to avoid Kol's hawk like eyes.

"So, some weeks back I decided to pay Marisol a little visit. I mean, she was practically a member of the family; I had to make sure she was alright. And, I just happened to remember from a few of the Mikaelson Enterprise holiday parties that she had quite the affinity for Connemara whiskey "

"Of course you did," she responded, her voice thick with sarcasm.

"This story will go much faster without your interruptions, you know," he said, flicking her in the ear, causing her to wince.

"I must say," Kol began, returning to his story, "after a few glasses, Marisol recounted the most fantastic tale. It seems that Mikael came to her with a proposition. Now, being loyal to Nik, she flatly refused but shortly after, you hired the sweet, young, energetic April. A pretty girl who knows how to do things like turn on a computer and that a blackberry can do more than act as a paperweight."

Caroline became indignant with the silent accusation in Kol's words. "I did not hire April as Marisol's replacement; she was to act as her back-up. Marisol was complaining about her arthritis so Klaus suggested we get someone to help with errands and other, more active tasks. I was not firing her."

"Regardless of your intentions, darling, Marisol had gone through this with Mikael once before and she saw the writing on the wall. She knew it would only be so long before Klaus phased her out in favor of someone who can actually hear the phone ring and has peripheral vision… So, the old bird decided to take my father up on his proposal. What proposal, you ask?" Kol asked, clearly enjoying unraveling everything Klaus, Stefan and Caroline had painstakingly tried to cover up.

"Well, it appears that Mikael knew that Nik's current visa was close to expiring so he charged Marisol, the very person who would be responsible for submitting the renewal paperwork with misplacing it, instead. He convinced her that no one would suspect her deception; she would walk away with a hefty sum that she could live off of once she lost her job and the worst thing that would happen would be that Nik would have to return to London for a bit until he could sort out the mess. Poor thing had no clue of what was really at stake."

Kol stretched his legs out and continued, "You know I actually felt quite sorry for the old girl at first. You see, Mikael can be very manipulative." He gave a dark chuckle, "I guess none of the apples fell too far from the tree with that. However, I now find myself unable to find any sympathy for her now that I see the end result of her actions."

"It's been a really interesting story, Kol. Especially the part where you got some old lady housed on whiskey but I need to go to bed and-"

Kol began talking over Caroline, completely ignoring her, "I'm not sure you know much about getting a visa in the US but I can assure you that it's a sticky process, indeed. That is, of course, unless you are lucky enough to fall madly in love with a US citizen and get married. In that scenario, everything is smooth sailing," he said, trailing his hand in the air. "So it appear that Klaus is luckiest of men! I mean, not with the whole being betrayed by father and his assistant part but by finding his soul mate just in the nik of time! I mean, how fortuitous!"

"Kol, I don't know what you're getting at but I think you should go," Caroline said worriedly.

"Caroline, I do not believe in luck and neither does a man like my brother. While I hate to admit it, he and I are very similar in that we will choose to manipulate events to work in our favor. We will go to great lengths to get what we want, not to mention what we need. While I was completely taken off guard when Nik stated he intends to marry you, things became very clear to me when I recalled my visit with Marisol."

"Caroline, I need you to look at me." Kol reached for the blonde's wrists to turn her to face him. "Tell me that my brother has not somehow forced you to marry him so he can stay in the country. If you can look me in the eye and tell me that, I will leave this instant and never mention this, again. But if you, cannot, God help me, I will tear my brother apart for forcing you into this."

Caroline could feel Kol's grip tightening around her wrists but she could not bring herself to meet his gaze. "Kol, I can't. Please…just let go."

Kol released her wrists before standing to pace the room. He started manically running his hand through his hair before shouting, "Goddamn him! Did he threaten you? Is that what he did?"

"No!" Caroline said, knowing that while should could not be completely forthcoming, she had to offer Kol some answers before he flew off of the handle. "Kol, please believe me when I say that I am a willing participant in this. I can't tell you much more than that but I am not being threatened or forced into anything. I even had Damon help with the contract."

"Damon knows about this?" Kol cried, completely incredulous. "I cannot believe he would allow such lunacy on your part. I guess I can safely assume that Stefan, Nik's loyal lap dog, is also in on this. How long have you promised to stay married?"

"Yes, and 1 year," Caroline said, closing her eyes and placing her head in her hands. This had been one of the longest weeks of her life and she felt completely drained. "Kol, please understand that I have my own reasons for doing this and no one is taking advantage of me."

"Yet!" Kol cried, moving to take a seat beside her on the couch. "I know my brother Caroline and he is a broken man."

"Well, that's his problem, not mine," she said, giving a hollow laugh.

"Caroline Forbes, patron saint of all things in need of fixing, it is in your nature to find these broken birds and mend their wings. Over the next year, Nik will show you some redeeming qualities and then you won't be able to help yourself. Before you even know it, you will make him one of your projects and, my darling, you will be lucky if you only find yourself disappointed for all of your trouble."

"I'm not going to fix him," Caroline argued.

"That's right, Caroline, because Nik cannot be fixed. You know, my brother was not always like this, but after Henrik died, life became hard for him. All of my siblings felt the impact of the loss but Nik suffered most of all. My father held an irrational grudge against Nik when we lost Henrik and he could be very cruel. However my brother had two paths from which to choose: one was to remain a part of our family, as dysfunctional as it was, and the other was to turn his back on all of us and steep himself in the darkness that he carries with him. I cannot pity a man who chooses unhappiness for himself and then so readily inflicts it upon the ones who love him. Nik lost one brother but the rest of us lost two and I, for one, will never forgive him for that. Poor Bekah has never gotten over it. It doesn't excuse her for acting like a raging bitch half of the time but it does explain it."

Again, Kol took Caroline's hands in his. "Caroline, I need you to promise me something. Promise me that you will guard you heart against my brother. You see, Nik is always cruelest to those who love him the most and I cannot bear to even think of the damage he could do with someone as big hearted as you." Kol reached his hand to move a curl from her face. "And promise me that you will not allow him to come between us. I don't know what I would do without my karaoke partner…you know Jeremy always get so embarrassed by my song choices."

Caroline couldn't help but laugh at Kol's attempt at levity. "You know you can only sing "I'm Sexy and I Know It" so many times before you lose your audience. But, yes, I promise you all of these things. However, Klaus and I will be living together so it will be difficult to hide our friendship. Maybe this is the perfect time to come out about us and for your to come out…"

The brown eyed man let out a deep laugh. "Darling, I've never hidden the fact that I'm gay. Anyone who took the time to actually get to know me could figure it out like that," he said snapping his fingers. "For example, you knew as soon as we met."

"Well, I'd had some experience with a gay men early in my life," she muttered.

"Caroline, I am not your father. I am not hiding who I am. Everyone outside of my family knows - I live in Chelsea and am a member of the David Barton gym for Christ's sake! No, my siblings have chosen to focus on me being a shameless and completely inappropriate flirt; they have neglected to notice that its with boys as well as girls."

"If you don't care, then why don't you tell them? Why don't you introduce them to Jeremy? Why do I always have to sneak around to meet you?" Caroline asked, genuinely curious.

"Because, my dear, as I was saying earlier, I have a very dysfunctional family. And they would find a way to insinuate themselves into my life and ruin my relationship with Jeremy and my relationship with you. Nik would be the worst of the lot. I would never accuse him of being homophobic – he hates everyone equally. He would just do to me what he's done to Rebekah countless times, what he tried to do with Elijah and Katherine. To Nik, we are all his toys and he does not like to share his toys."

Caroline looked at her friend, trying to absorb all her friend said. While they become increasingly close over the years since they first met, she never had what could be considered a "deep talk" with her friend.

"And that brings me back to you, poppet. I think Nik has always a harbored some feelings for you. What kind of feelings I am not sure but he is a man used to controlling the people around him and you, my dear, are not easy to control. Now that he's essentially tying you to him he will be gaining some leverage over you. You are now sure to become my brother's favorite toy and he is a selfish child. He would rather break his toy than share it."

Caroline had no response.

Kol stood up, pulling Caroline to stand as well. "And I will leave with that to stew on. Now come and give the most handsome Mikaelson a kiss before I go."

Caroline wrapped her arms around her friend and gave him a kiss on the cheek before walking him to the door.

Caroline finally found herself back in bed but knew there would be no sleeping that night.

I hope readers aren't upset with my choice to make Kol gay. I just think he's such a fabulous, unapologetic character and if anyone could be a strong, proud gay character, it would be him.


	12. Chapter 12

The Contract: Chapter 12

I want to thank everyone for the positive reviews for the last chapter. I think the FF site was having problems, resulting in a long lag between my post and the first review I received. I thought I totally lost my audience.

This is a shorter chapter but I wanted to put up something light after the last chapter being a little on the heavy side.

I will probably have another 1 -2 chapters this week before I leave for a 2 week vacation. I have a 16 hour flight to Singapore coming up so I may be able to write something over the holiday but most of the time will be spent in the jungles of Thailand and Cambodia!

Caroline attempted to slip on her ballet slippers, put in her second earring and answer her phone at the same time.

"Hey Kat," she said, struggling to hold the phone while getting ready for her day of bald-face lying, cat fighting and haute couture.

"Get your skinny ass downstairs," the Bulgarian roared into the phone.

Caroline could hear Bonnie laughing in the background. "I'm coming! Hold your horses!"

Moments later, she was sliding into a sleek SUV, her two of her close friends already nestled in the back. "Well if it isn't the most beautiful, most wonderful, kindes-"

"Cut the shit Forbes," Katherine interrupted, checking her watch, "we only have 20 minutes for our friendtervention before we have to meet with the she devil."

"Kat!" Caroline groaned, looking to Bonnie for support. She only received a shrug as if to say 'your on your own' in response.

"Don't look to her to save you, sugar tits," Kat began. "After dropping the marriage bomb on me and Bonnie yesterday, I think we are well within our rights to give you some tough love." The brunette reached out a perfectly manicured hand to pat Caroline on the back. "Listen, I know you haven't slept with many men and then there was that ridiculous drought after Matt but you do not need to marry the first penis you fall on after your break-up. I mean, let's face it, Matt was a bore and I can only imagine that he was a total snooze fest between the sheets," she said rolling her eyes dramatically. "And I bet your sexual starvation only made Klaus look like a big juicy steak."

"Kat, seriously? Can we just talk about dress shopping?" she asked, hoping to change the subject

"Nope. I think we have some more important things to talk about," she said, looking over her shoulder at her green-eyed friend, "wouldn't you agree, Bon-Bon?"

Bonnie gave a soft chuckle, "I am just here to support my friend and," she added with a smile, "maybe enjoy the show."

"Thanks, Bon," Caroline scoffed, "real supportive…"

Katherine began her tirade anew. "As I was saying, although it has never happened to me, I can only imagine that going without sex for anything longer than, say a couple of weeks, could drive a girl insane or at least make her do some crazy things…like sleeping with Klaus," she said with a grimace. "But, just because you got the milk doesn't mean you have to marry the cow."

Both Caroline and Bonnie offered their friend quizzical glances before the blonde slapped her palm to her forehead and began to laugh.

"Oh, I've got it… Got it." Both women began laughing hysterically after realizing the saying the native Bulgarian was attempting to use while she looked between the two, confused.

"What, what did I say?" she huffed.

"Kat, it's nothing," Bonnie offered in consolation. "It just American idioms are difficult."

"Whatever," Katherine said, deciding to ignore the two. "As I was saying, if this is just about sex, then Bonnie and I may have come up with a solution," she said producing a gift bag from the bench seat behind them and placing it into Caroline's lap.

"What is this?" the blonde asked, looking at the gift like it could detonate at any moment.

"Well," Bonnie began, a devilish smile on her face, "Kat called me after the dinner last night and we came up with this," she said pointing to the bag. "I know it's little early for it but this is our version of 'something old, something new…"

For some reason, this explanation only served to make Caroline even more trepidatious about the contents of the package she was balancing on her knees.

"Yeah," Kat added, her eyes big, "the sexy version!"

"Nope, I'm so not doing this," Caroline said, rolling down the window to throw the bag containing God knows what out of the car.

"Don't you dare," Katherine shrieked, reaching over her friend to rescue the bag before it could be discarded. "There are some very valuable items in here. And, if you're going to be difficult, I guess Bonnie and I will have to do the honors."

"Without further ado," Bonnie said, digging through the bag, "we have 'something old'." And with that, she passed Caroline of a dog-eared book that looked like it had seen better days.

Caroline looked at the soft back in her hands and frowned. "_50 Shades of Grey_?" she scoffed. "Seriously guys?" she added, attempting to hand the book back to her green-eyed friend.

Bonnie pushed the volume back at her and gave her the most serious of looks. "Do not underestimate the power of the _50 Shades_" she said, whispering the name like a solemn prayer. "It changed my life…and Luka's… And now, I am gifting this – the gift that keeps on giving to you."

"I couldn't possibly…" Caroline deadpanned.

"But I insist," Bonnie winked.

"Ok, next," Katherine began, reaching into the bag. "We have 'something new' and it happens to go along with the something old."

Caroline opened the package and looked at her friends, completely apoplectic. "You got me a vibrator," she stated in disbelief. "Well," she added, shaking her head, "I guess that leaves me with one less thing for the wedding registry…"

Kat grabbed the object from her hands before she could hide it back in the bag. "It isn't just any vibrator," Kat said excitedly, pressing a combination of different buttons to produce different motions. "It's the top of the line Rabbit – best on the market."

Caroline's face was in flames as she realized that the driver was now looking in the rear view mirror at the girls, unsuccessfully trying to hide the smile that was threatening to burst across his face. She grabbed the device from Katherine's hands and futilely attempted to turn it off. The toy seemed to be possessed – vibrating and rotating in her hand. As a last resort, the frustrated blonde finally removed the batteries before throwing it back in the bag.

Katherine completely dismissed her friend's obvious embarrassment and moved to the next gift.

"Oh no," Caroline said, raising her hands in surrender. "You've made your point; there is no need for me to see anymore."

"Nonsense," Kat said in a conspiratorial tone, "we're just getting to good stuff – 'something borrowed'" And with that, she pulled out a thick black address book.

Caroline's jaw dropped at the sight if the book. "Is that your…"

"Mmmhmmm," Katherine responded, running her fingers over the cover reverentially, "my Little Black Book." She opened the book to reveal pages listing the names and numbers of some of the most eligible men in the world along with a column filled with notes to the side of each.

Bonnie squinted over the brunette's shoulder to get a better look at the writing. "What are the numbers to the left?"

"That's the rating," she said while handing the book to Caroline. "My advice to you, Care, is to stick with the boys rated anywhere between an 7 – 8 for now and then work your way up to 10. You don't want to pull a muscle." She offered this advice the same way she once suggested Caroline invest in bolder colors for her wardrobe. So Katherine.

"Why do you still have this?" Caroline asked. "I'm sure Elijah would go nuts if he saw this."

Katherine adopted a wicked grin. "Precisely for that reason. You see, Elijah and I rarely fight but when we do, somehow, this little book finds its way on the couch or on the dining room table. Always somewhere I know he will see it. It never takes long after that for him to agree he was wrong so we can make-up."

Caroline and Bonnie both gave their friend what can only be described as looks both reverential and slightly scared.

"Oh, you're good," Bonnie said, lowly.

"Klaus may be right," Caroline added, "you may actually be the devil…"

"Speaking of devils," Katherine said clapping her hands. "We have gifted you with a sexual arsenal so you can break yourself out of this sex haze and end things with that Tom Ford wearing demon."

Attempting to steer the conversation into another direction, Caroline looked at the package, again, before asking, "I know I'm going to regret this, but what's the 'something blue'?"

Katherine slapped the woman's hands from the bag to get her attention, knocking the bag over and causing the Rabbit to fall out. The model grabbed the device, waving it at Caroline and coldly exclaimed, "the tissue paper…and hopefully Klaus's balls once you dump his sorry ass!"

"God, Kat!" Caroline shrieked, looking back at the driver whose shoulders were now shaking with laughter. "You can't talk that way and get that thing out of my face!"

"The hell I can't and the hell I will!" she said "Klaus has hypnotized you with his penis –"

"Kat, really stop!"

"And Bonnie and I are here to snap you out of it before you make a huge mistake,"

Katherine continued, effectively talking over her friend.

"Listen!" Caroline cried out, clamping her eyes shut in frustration.

"No, you listen. This is called tough love! And I understand. If Klaus is anything like Elijah in bed then –"

"Klaus and I haven't slept together!" Caroline yelled. She slowly opened her eyes to see her friends looking at her, eyes wide and jaws slack. The vibrator fell from Katherine's hands with a thud before turning on and bouncing around at their feet.

With the intensity of the last few minutes, no one noticed that the car had stopped until the back door opened.

"Ladies, we are here."


	13. Chapter 13

The Contract: Chapter 13

Is it obvious from my last two chapters that I love Katherine and Kol almost as much as Caroline and Klaus? Why couldn't the TVD spinoff be a Friends-like living situation with Caroline, Kat, Rebekah, Kol and Klaus?

I'm sorry that the last chapter was so short but I loved the reviews I received.

**For anyone who hasn't voted already, please log into /2013/12/17/hottest-tv-couples-2013-vampire-diaries-castle/ and vote for Klaroline! We need to at least make it to the top two!**

I will begin the INS prep chapter tomorrow and hope post it by mid next week but I don't know what the internet situation will be in the jungles of Cambodia and Thailand. If I don't die riding an elephant, I hope to write through the first INS interview by New Year's. There will be a MAJOR flashback in that chapter recounting Caroline and Klaus first meeting in London. I've had it in my head for months – I just with I could send it to Borzoi, CB1000, TalkingToTulips, . , heystrippah or Idiot Wind to write because their stuff is just so damn good…

Get ready for some bad behavior.

"You're late," Rebekah snapped, her accent thick. The impeccably dressed blonde was standing inside the entrance of Barneys, wearing her arms folded over her chest and a cross expression on her face as she watched the 3 enter through the revolving door.

Caroline referred to the cheap running watch she wore before responding, "It's, like, 11:02."

"Exactly. I managed to be here on time."

"I can already see that you guys didn't exaggerate," Bonnie muttered. Although the woman had some experience with the Mikaelson family, it was mostly due to events surrounding Katherine's wedding. To date, Bonnie had successfully limited her contact with the majority of the clan, save Elijah, and what she knew of the others was through the colorful anecdotes supplied by the two friends flanking her sides. And based on those tales, if you looked up 'entitled diva' in the dictionary, you'd find the perfectly coifed Rebekah Mikaelson staring back at you.

"Come," she ordered without offering any greeting. Rebekah turned on her Jimmy Choo heels, walked towards the elevator and ushered the three in before joining them and pressing the button. "We will be starting at the Bridal Suite here and then we have appointments at Carolina Herrera, Reem Acra, Vera Wang and then Bergdorf."

In an effort to make things more pleasant for the group, Caroline decided to wave the white flag. "Rebekah, thank you for arranging all of this. I know it was very last minute and I can't tell you how much I appreciate it."

With that, the elevator doors opened and the four began to exit. However, Caroline's soon to be sister-in-law quickly turned to face the group, effectively barricading the doors.

"Just so we're clear, I'm only doing this for Nik. Last night I received explicit orders that I am to make sure you pick out appropriate wedding attire for the lot of us all the while smiling politely and being your new bestie," she said, offering an icy glare and sickeningly sweet smile before finally whipping her blonde hair around and stepping into the Bridal Suite.

Katherine rolled her eyes before mimicking the dramatic move and strutting out in her animal print Louboutins.

"And this woman is going to be related to you?" Bonnie whispered as the last two exited.

"Unfortunately," Caroline muttered, "or until I kill her."

Again, Rebekah turned to the women as a tour guide would to a group of foreign tourists. "Listen up, ladies," she began before turning to brunette to add, "and, Katherine, for the purposes of this conversation that term even applies to you."

Caroline quickly grabbed Katherine by the collar before she could get her hands around the other woman's neck.

Pretending not to notice, Rebekah continued, "We will be meeting with my personal shoppers here and at Bergdorf and I had to call in several favors to get into the other boutiques on such short notice, so please," she said, directing a glare at Katherine, "let's leave the trailer park at home today, shall we?"

As if on cue, a small redhead with an edgy bob approached the group. "Rebekah, it's so good to see you! You look amazing, as always." she said, leaning in to give the blonde Mikaelson a kiss on each cheek.

"Hate her already," Katherine mumbled.

"Hello Belinda, I appreciate you rearranging your schedule to accommodate us."

The redhead waved her hand dismissively, "Honestly, anything for my best client. And how is Alexander?" she asked.

"Ugh," Rebecca replied, with a roll of her eyes, "he's travelling like mad…as usual."

"I guess it's all work and no play when you're a big time venture capitalist. Now," she said looking at the other three, "who is the bride to be?"

"That would be me," Caroline said, moving forward to shake the woman's hand. "I'm Caroline and these two are my bridesmaids, Bonnie and Katherine."

The woman's eyes went wide at Katherine's introduction. "Oh. My. God," she said, putting her hands over her mouth. "Katherine Pierce! I can't believe it. I absolutely loved the your Dolce & Gabbana campaign last year. It was," she said searching for a word, "transcendental."

"Well thank you," the Bulgarian cooed, "but it was really nothing. Just something Domenico and I dreamed up one night on Stefano's yacht."

"Belinda," Rebekah snapped, obviously irritated by Katherine receiving such attention, "we're in a bit of a hurry so if you wouldn't mind…"

The saleswoman's cheeks flushed with embarrassment, "I'm sorry, of course. Where would you like to begin?"

"First, we need to get this one's measurements," Rebekah stated, directing her finger at Caroline.

"Actually, we should probably get everyone measured for the bridesmaids' dresses," Caroline offered.

"Belinda already has mine. My measurements haven't changed in years," Rebekah said proudly.

"And I know mine," added Katherine, "so it's just you and Bonnie who need to be measured."

Rebekah scoffed, "Really? Are you sure you don't want to get measured again considering you've managed to put a bun in that oven of yours? Or perhaps you'd like all of the bridesmaids to wear something with an elastic waist band?"

"Rebekah!" Caroline shrieked. "You can't go around telling everyone!"

"It's ok, Care, I told Bon last night," the brunette said calmly. "And oddly enough, Rebekah, I've barely gained a pound in the last 11 weeks nor have I experienced any morning sickness. I believe its what scientists call superior genes."

"Can we just do this?" Bonnie broke in, "I have to be at the hospital by 5 to start my rounds so let's just get this show on the road." While Bonnie was generally the most soft-spoken of Caroline's friends, when she decided to put her foot down, she put her foot down.

"I agree," Caroline added, already exhausted. "Let's just get this over with."

After measurements were taken, Belinda walked into the private dressing room with a notepad and several look books.

"Ok Caroline," she began, "before I begin pulling dresses, let's talk about what you're looking for."

Caroline looked at the woman like a deer in headlights. "I'm not really sure. Just something simple," she said with a shrug. If she had her way, she would pull the first plain frock off of the hanger and be done with it.

"Simple?" Katherine cried in horror. "Absolutely not, this is your wedding day and you are going to look like a goddamn princess." she stated, turning her attention to Belinda. "Bring us something that screams Cinderella. I'm talking bell skirt and a train a mile long. A show stopper!" she demanded. The redhead took her orders and left to collect the prescribed items.

"Kat," Caroline began, hoping to reign in her friend.

"Caroline Forbes, I may not approve of your choice of groom but your day is going to be magical and your dress will be perfect. So shut up, sit your skinny ass down and let your fairy Godmother, here, do all of the work."

"Ugh, I don't like this one, either," Caroline huffed, struggling to walk in an enormous tulle monstrosity.

"What's wrong with this one?" Katherine asked, her frustration evident.

"First of all, I look like I'm melting," Caroline said, pointing to the mirror. In truth, the skirt of the dress was so large on her that it did appear that the blonde was being eaten by it. "It's too big," she finished, flopping onto the couch, the skirt bunching up to completely envelope her. "See," she said, patting the fabric down with her arms to reveal her face, "It's trying to strangle me!"

"And what was wrong with the last one?" Bonnie asked.

"Too ornate," was the quick reply.

"And the one before that?"

"Too frilly."

"You've complained about every single dress, so far!" Katherine said, tired of her friend's protests.

"That's because they're all too, too…"

"White?" Rebekah offered with an evil smirk, finally putting down her iPhone to join in on the deliberation.

Katherine hooted in laughter, "Ha – Caroline definitely won't have a problem wearing white, will you Care?"

"Kat," Caroline bit out with a warning glare.

"What?" her friend asked with a shrug. "I think it's commendable that you've decided to wait for the wedding night but I'm still shocked that you've been able to make Klaus behave this long. He does have quite the reputation, you know," she finished with a raised eyebrow.

This got Rebekah's attention. "What are you blathering on about?"

"Just that Caroline and your brother haven't done the deed, yet," Katherine smirked.

Rebekah looked from the blonde to the brunette and then settled back to the blonde. "You lie," she said, in a low, accusatory tone.

Caroline slowly lifted her arms off of the skirt to allow it to gradually swallow her. What's the worst thing she could imagine happening today? Hmm, probably talking about her sex life with Klaus's little sister…

"Oh no you don't," Rebekah said, leaning across the sofa the two occupied to move the tulle from the other blonde's face. Once they were eye-to-eye, "are you really going to try to convince me that you haven't lured my brother into marrying you using whatever natural talents you have hidden underneath this blasted dress?"

Caroline wrestled the dress from the woman's hands before trying, unsuccessfully, to lift herself from the sofa. Bonnie was kind enough to come to her aid, offering her a hand so she could stand.

"I don't have to convince you of anything," said Caroline with an exasperated sigh, the deep flush in her cheeks and chest now exposed. "I don't like anything we've seen so can we just go to the next place?"

Caroline moved behind the dressing screen to change while Rebekah stared ahead gob smacked. Klaus was a man better known for his ruthless determination with women rather than any semblance of patience. Could her brother, the wanker, actually care about this woman enough to wait?

The rest of the day was a whirlwind of trying on dresses, bickering, power struggles, a less than civil lunch and not so subtle death threats. The group finally managed to agree on a classic Vera Wang wrap dress for the bridesmaids' but it took close to an hour for Katherine and Rebekah to agree on a color. The brunette huffed that yellow was not her color while the blonde refused to consider coral because it made her skin appear 'ruddy'. It was Caroline who suggested a beautiful shade of lilac that would complement each of her four bridesmaid's complexions.

Shortly after that was settled, Rebekah went outside to make a call while the remaining women made arrangements with the sales clerk.

"Bonnie, put your card away," Caroline said determinedly, "I'm paying for your dress and Elena's."

"No you aren't, Care," Bonnie protested. "You already spend too much on me when we travel; I can pay for my own dress." The woman looked at the price tag and let out a small gasp. "Wow."

Caroline took her shock at the price as an opportunity to snatch the dress from her hand, "Bon, once you're a big time doctor, you can pay for everything," she said with a smile. "I promise. And it's not like I can ask Elena to pay for something like this on a social worker's salary. So this is my treat."

"Not so fast Caro," Rebekah said, sauntering back into the boutique. "I just got off the phone with Nik and he insists he pay for everything, including the bridesmaid's dresses."

"Really?" Caroline asked. While she still had Klaus's black card, she assumed she was only supposed to use it for her dress and 'more appropriate' attire for their public appearances. She was surprised to hear he would be so magnanimous with her friends.

"Yes," Rebekah said curtly, while retrieving her wallet from her Chloe bag. "My dear brother instructed me to pay for everything. It seems he doubted you would use the card he gave you," she added, giving Caroline a curious look. "And it appears that he was correct."

"I can pay for my friends' dresses," Caroline said, feeling uncomfortable under the woman's scrutiny.

"Not on your life, missy," Rebekah countered, handing the clerk her credit card. "My orders are to make sure you get your dream day, all courtesy of Nik. And besides, soon his money will be your money so what does it really matter?"

Bonnie looked to Caroline, "I don't know if I feel right about this."

Caroline waived her hand and tried to assuage her friend's misgivings. "Forget about it, Bon. Wait," she said, suddenly aware of how late it was getting, "don't you need to leave for work?"

Bonnie pulled out her phone to check the time. "Yeah, I need to leave soon."

Caroline looked to her friend's phone, noticing that there was a missed call from Elena.

"Oh, Elena called? It's so weird to be doing this without her, right?" From childhood, on, the three always planned to be a part of the each other's wedding process. I guess that's what you get for deciding on a last minute sham marriage, Caroline thought.

She watched as Bonnie turned the face of her phone into her hand and quickly placed it back in her bag. She gave a slight nod. "Yeah, I guess."

Caroline noticed her friend was acting strangely. "Is everything ok, Bon? Is Elena alright? I feel like I never talk to her anymore."

"Yeah, yeah…everything's fine; she's fine," she said while collecting her things. "I just feel bad about leaving before we've found your dress."

"Thank God Saint Helena is ok!" Katherine said dramatically, plopping down on a chaise and removing her shoes so she could massage one sore foot at a time.

"Kat!" both Bonnie and Caroline moaned. The brunette made no secret of her dislike for the absent bridesmaid. In fact, Katherine tended to use the doe eyed girl as her own personal emery board; just someone to use to sharpen her claws.

"Her name is Elena, not Helena – which you damn well know. And I will never understand why you hate her so much," Caroline said, shaking her head.

"Ooooh," Rebekah said, intrigued. "Katherine hates the other bridesmaid? It looks like I may be about to meet my new best friend."

Katherine cast the blonde a withering look. "Trust me, Rebekah, you'll hate her the most. The whole Bambi eyes with a martyr complex get old fast," she finished, making a gagging gesture. "I've told you all once and I will tell you again; the girl is a snake."

"Takes one to know one…" Rebekah offered, in a low voice.

"Enough, Kat," Caroline warned. "Bonnie and I have known Elena our entire lives and she is one of the sweetest, most caring people we know. Isn't that right, Bon?"

Bonnie nervously checked the time on her phone, "Guys, I'm sorry but I really need to get going." She offered her friends a hug and politely nodded at Rebekah.

"Actually," Caroline began, "why don't you guys go. Katherine, you've been on your feet all day and it can't be good for you. I'm fine going to Bergdorf's alone. "

"No," Kat protested while stifling a yawn, "you can't go by yourself!"

"You're falling asleep as we speak!" Caroline argued. "We've selected your dresses, left the measurements and scheduled the fittings – your work here is done! Just go and I'll catch up with you tomorrow."

The group made their way out to the street and Bonnie hailed a cab.

"Are you sure?" Katherine asked, torn between her desire to rest and to help her friend.

"I'm positive," Caroline continued as the girls made their way into the cab, "thank you guys so much, bye."

"Ok, the SUV is still set to pick you up from Bergdorf," Katherine said, sticking her head out the window. "So good luck finding a dress, make sure it's special and do us all a favor…," she asked, a smile breaking across her tired face, "relax and use 'something new' tonight, won't ya?"

Caroline could not help but laugh at the cheekiness before sending the girls a wave and turning to walk towards her final destination. Moments later she noticed a presence by her side.

"Rebekah, you really don't have to come with me. You've done more than enough by setting up all of the appointments and suffering through the entire day. I'm sure I've taken up more than enough of your time this weekend so please feel free take off." She walked a little faster, hoping the woman would take this opportunity to leave her to her own devices. It had been a hellishly long week and even longer weekend and Caroline still had to meet Klaus later that evening for INS prep. She was in desperate need for some alone time.

However, Rebekah had other ideas. "My orders were to accompany you to purchase a dress. As we have yet to select said dress, I am afraid you are stuck with me. Don't worry," she continued, with a fake smile. "I'm just as happy about it as you are.

Rebekah was half way through the complimentary bottle of champagne and Caroline was still no closer to finding a dress.

"What about this one," Rebekah asked, pulling out an intricately beaded, fitted gown. The woman had been consistently selecting the most risqué pieces in the collection.

Caroline briefly glanced over before shaking her head 'no' in response. "I'm getting married Rebekah, not singing 'Happy Birthday, Mr. President."

"What? Too sexy for you?" Rebekah asked. "I have to give it to you, you are certainly playing the whole 'virgin bride' routine perfectly."

Caroline slammed the dress she was holding back on the rack and turned to face the other blonde. "You know, Rebekah, I'm getting sick of all of your snide comments. If you have a problem with me, you can either talk to Klaus or, better yet, keep it to yourself."

Rebekah placed her hands on her hips, her elbows akimbo. "Well do you want to know what I'm sick of? I'm sick of the fact that since the day you arrived at my home one Christmas Eve, you've had every man in my family practically groveling at your feet. As if it wasn't enough for you to have the Salvatores follow you around like lost puppies, you had to add my brothers to your collection, too," she snapped. She poured herself another glass of champagne before continuing. "You even had my father, a man who ceased to show any interest in his own children long ago, eating out of the palm of your hand. "What are your thoughts on the European markets, Caroline?" "Caroline, love, won't you accompany us shooting?" "Caroline, please, please, please come intern for my son Elijah!"

"So I have question for you Caro: how do you it? If you aren't using your feminine wiles," she said wagging a finger at Caroline's nethers, "then how do you have these men hanging on your every word. I'm dying to know because you see, I could set myself on fire and never get the attention you receive just by offering an opinion. But what really makes me sick is this," she said, gesturing to the dresses. "You have everyone" she bit out, "did you really need to take Nik, too? Nik, my favorite brother. The one who taught me how to ride a bike, the one who took me to my first day of school… The one who was too busy to attend my high school graduation, the one who decided to blow off our New Year's plans so he could spend it with you in Paris…"

Too say that Caroline was taken off guard by this tirade would be putting it mildly. And what was it about this weekend that had the Mikaelson's suddenly so eager to share their feelings with her? What happened to the waspy family she had come to know? Couldn't they all go back to being emotionally repressed?! Caroline could only reason that this outburst had as much to due with the almost empty bottle of champagne as it did the years of resentment the other woman seemed to have built up. She had a decision to make – Plan A: take on an irrationally emotional and drunk woman who was soon to become her sister-in-law or Plan B: just allow her to blow off some steam.

Be the bigger person, Caroline told herself. Take a deep breath and let her get it out of her system.

"Rebekah," she said soothingly, "I'm sorry you're upset. Maybe we should call it a day and try again next week."

The other woman began shaking her head vigorously, "No, not until you tell me what it is that's so special about you that has people falling all over themselves for you," her eyes trailed over Caroline before she continued, "because I don't see it. Why do you get everything you want and everyone when I try so hard and have nothing."

Plan A it is.

Caroline saw red. How dare this one speak to her like she knew anything about hee?

Caroline squared her shoulders and her face became a stony mask. It was such a drastic departure from the woman's usual warm and kind countenance that even in her tipsy state, Rebekah recognized the change. She took a step back as Caroline stalked towards her.

"Poor Rebekah," Caroline snapped out, "you think nobody understands you, don't you. But I do. You see, I was a mean girl once upon a time. My dad left and I thought the pain from that loss gave me license to be a vicious bitch, just like you – even to my friends. I hated that Elena was so perfect, I hated that Bonnie was so kind. I hated myself for not being good enough. But then, something happened." her eyes bored into Rebekah's. "In one night I lost my mom and I lost my home and it was the people I had been so horrid to who reached out to me. They gave me their clothes and a roof over my head. It took a fucking disaster to do it, but I changed and I came to appreciate everyone and everything I had because I learned the hard was how easy it is to lose it all. You know who was at my graduation? No one. I sent out no invitations because there was no one to invite. I wore a second hand dress, a pair of Elena's shoes and gave my Valedictorian speech to an auditorium full of other people's friends and family. And then I spent yet another night in someone else's house. And do you know how I felt?" she asked. "I was fucking grateful to everyone who helped me get there."

"And as for why your family likes me, well lets go through it. I majored in business. That is the sole reason your dad and Elijah paid any attention to me – we had a common interest. So there's one mystery solved. Kol gets distracted by anything new and shiny and that's what I was – a novel addition to your home. And Klaus," Caroline chuckled darkly, "Klaus was terrible to me that trip and never missed an opportunity to make me feel this big," she said, holding her index finger and thumb an inch apart. "It seems that you and your brother have both been blessed with that gift. If Klaus blew you off to go to Paris, it was so he could spend time with Stefan, not me."

"And as for Stefan and Damon, they are my family and I will not allow you to imply anything else. I'm there for them and they are there for me – that's how relationships work. And you know what?" she added, as if she suddenly recalled something funny, "when I first met you, I even tried to get Stefan to ask you out! What was I thinking," she muttered in frustration.

"So if you want to whine and complain about having no one, find another audience. I am indescribably sorry that you lost Henrik but you still have 2 healthy parents and 4 brothers who love you, however dysfunctional they may all be. You even have 2 sisters-in-law who you could have a relationship with if you could get your head out of your ass."

Caroline began to look through the dresses again while continuing, "Now, as I see it, you can either appreciate all you have and finally begin to enjoy it or can continue to act like an atrocious bitch and chase everyone away. The choice is yours. But know this -" she added, giving Rebekah a determined look, "everyone else may put up with your bullshit but I won't," she said shaking her head. "Like is too short."

"So, if you don't mind, I'm going to try on some more dresses," she said, randomly pulling a dress from the rack and moving behind the dressing screen.

Rebekah put her glass down and was tempted to reach for her purse and make a hasty departure. She felt foolish and ashamed. She'd spent so many years hating Caroline; feeling she'd stolen her family's attention from her when, in reality, she'd never done anything to undermine her relationships. If Rebekah recalled, the girl had even been exceptionally kind to her, as well, but she chose resentment over friendship. Had she maintained her relationships as she should have, no one could have put a wedge between her and her brothers. The distance and discordance in the family was all of their making. And Caroline was right. Rebekah could continue down her lonely path or she could "get her head out of her ass" as the woman so eloquently put it.

Rebekah did not want to be alone.

At the moment of this realization, Caroline walked from behind the screen in a plain, capped sleeve gown. She moved to the mirror without giving the other blonde a second glance.

"It doesn't suit you," Rebakah offered hesitantly.

Caroline looked in the mirror to the blonde standing just behind her and steadied herself for the oncoming assault. She'd hoped they'd at least reached a détente but it was apparent that this woman was hell bent on fighting.

Before Caroline could ask her to leave, Rebekah continued in a low voice "You actually have a lovely figure and that dress just hides it."

"Here" she said, reaching for a gown that she'd loved immediately but decided to hide from the bride when they first arrived. "Try this."

Caroline looked at her in askance before taking the dress behind the screen.

Caroline had given Rebekah a wealth of things to consider from the way her behavior was isolating her to Caroline's own experience with loss but one question was burning in her chest. She nervously began to thread the fabric of the veil she selected in her hands.

"Were you serious, Caroline?" she asked through the screen.

"You'll have to be a bit more specific."

"Did you really tell Stefan to ask me out?"

She heard a deep sigh issue from the blonde. "Yes."

"Why. As you said, I was terrible to you."

"Yeah you were," Caroline said matter of factly, "but I could tell you really cared for Stefan and that's all I really want for him."

"So, you wouldn't mind if your best friend went out with someone you detested," Rebekah asked, genuinely curious.

"It's not about me, Rebekah, and I never said I detested you. Honestly," she added, moving from behind the screen, "you can be as big of a bitch as you want to me as long as you're good to him. All I want is for him to be happy."

Rebekah looked in Caroline's eyes and saw that she was speaking the truth. A lump formed in her throated as she considered all of the time she wasted on blaming this woman for her problems.

"That's the one," Rebekah said simply.

"Really?" Caroline looked at her slightly confused before stepping on the pedestal before the mirror. The dress was a simple strapless silhouette but, upon closer inspection, one could discern the delicate and intricate lace work that adorned it.

"Yes," Rebekah said, moving forward to place the veil on the woman's crown. She smoothed the sheer material around Caroline's face and took a step back to get a better look. "It's perfect."

Caroline looked in the mirror and felt a tug at her heart at the image. It was perfect, she thought becoming emotional. A perfect dress for the perfect lie.

She cleared her throat. "Did Klaus tell you to select something strapless," she asked, feeling confident that he would not be above even giving strict orders to his sister on what dress she was to pick.

"No, he didn't. He just wanted me to make sure you got something nice for yourself."

She began to chuckle lightly.

"What?" Caroline asked, she couldn't help but smile incredulously at the sudden change in Rebekah's demeanor.

"It's just that Katherine wasn't the only one demanding a dress fit for royalty. However, Klaus said it should be a dress fit for a queen, not a princess. Who would have ever thought those two would ever think alike, right?"

"Yeah, right," Caroline mumbled distractedly.

"I just thought that based on the way Nik was drooling over you in the dress you wore to dinner last night that he would love you in this," she said nonchalantly. "I'll get the clerk and then you can be off to meet him."

Caroline was about to discredit the woman's first statement but realized that Nik was playing a man in love. He was just playing the part and playing the part very well...

"Lord help me," she said, removing the veil.

This is what I had in mind for the dress.

search?q=oscar+de+la+renta+bridal&client=safari&rls=en&tbm=isch&source=iu&imgil=FG_CGbXC9f6XSM%253A%253Bhttp%253A%252F% .com%252Fimages%253Fq%253Dtbn%253AANd9GcTlHVHILsvVk-MrlS_iu6-Q1T8E_ANP8HGhNlcevWAIVSzqav5r%253B550%253B899%253BU2ewvAbxlVtxcM%253Bhttp%25253A%25252F% .com%25252F2012%25252F04%25252F18%25252Foscar-de-la-renta-bridal-2013%25252F&sa=X&ei=og6yUtfFLY3rkQftxoBw&ved=0CEoQ9QEwBg&biw=1440&bih=733


	14. Author's Note: The Dress

Author's Note

I've just added the link to the dress to my profile. A dress fit for a queen!

I hope to have the INS prep chapter up by tomorrow night!


	15. A Plea to All Klaroliners

A plea to all Klaroliners.

I did it at work.

I did it on the exercise bike last night.

I did it while getting waxed (just because I'm on my way to the jungle doesn't mean I need to be groomed like a heathen…).

I tried to do it with my elbow while getting a manicure but that was a bust.

I tried to get the woman next to me at the nail salon to do it but it became too difficult to explain what a "Klaroline" is.

I intend to do it throughout my 16 hour flight to Singapore tonight.

I'm doing it right now.

I'm voting for Caroline and Klaus for Hollywood Life's Hottest TV Couple of 2013 (please find links to vote in my profile).

It may seem like a big waste of time but I find myself obsessing over this. It may seem silly but it is important to me because this fiction TV couple has, for some reason, become important to me. Maybe because it pairs two unlikely souls in the most perfect of ways; maybe it's because, like many other women I know, I can relate to Caroline. She is a girl who may not always get it right but it's never for lack of trying.

I have no idea what the TVD/TO powers that be intend to do with this couple but I would like them to know that, even after 7 or so months of no Klaroline moments, the fandom is still strong. We still want this pairing. TVD and TO are both going strong in the ratings so I'm sure the producers feel no impetus towards making this romance happen. They aren't reading the amazing fanfiction being written KCers, they aren't likely reviewing our tweets and I doubt they are taking the time to check out some of the crazy good KC blogs on Tumblr. BUT they may pay attention to a poll created by an industry publication. So, when the TO ratings start to wane (I think this will likely happen because Glee is going to move to this time slot, some new viewers will lose interest and a few TVD fans, such as myself, will stop watching out of frustration with the poor writing), studio heads will look to fix the situation. Cue Caroline packing her bags and moving to NOLA.

So, please join me in letting Julie Plec, et al. know that even though we've only been given crumbs this season, KCers are still strong! I mean, this should be something they are proud of considering one of the most beloved couples on TVD/TO is of the writers' creation! Stelena/Delena was dreamed up by L.J. Smith but the coupling of Klaus and Caroline was designed in the TVD writers' room. They should want the chance to continue to grow this into an epic romance!

Sorry for the rant… Now let's get back to voting! Caroline Forbes should never be second best, again!


	16. Chapter 14

The Contract: Chapter 14

I hope everyone is enjoying his/her holiday!

It has taken longer than I anticipated to finish this chapter but the travel and all of the Hollywood Life voting took a ton of time from my writing.

I apologize for the Plea to Caroliners (some people seemed to be a little peeved) but the outcome was worth it!

Things I've learned from my travels:

From Singapore - Durian fruit tastes and smells like trash. Festering wet trash. Or as my tour guide put it - "It's like eating custard in front of a toilet."

From Siem Reap, Cambodia – Massages are awesome. A couple's massage with someone you aren't dating is super awkward.

From Bangkok, Thailand – Thai hookers are much prettier than the ones I've seen in New York. Oh, and the food is great.

From Chang Mai, Thailand – I will eat anything if it has been friend. Specifically, worms and cicadas.

From Hanoi – Tall women freak out the locals. I'm a 5'10 blonde and I sent a group of Vietnamese teenage girls scattering at a temple. One started patting my arm before calling me Big Bird.

I also want to apologize for this chapter being so long and disjointed. I've basically written everything over the course of the last two weeks, so it has been written on planes, trains and automobiles; parts written on my laptop, iPad and even phone and then patched together. It may seem thrown together but I needed to get in a lot of background info and do the set up for events that will be coming up shortly.

"You're late," Klaus said lightly to the blonde on standing in his hallway.

"Seriously?" Caroline scoffed. "Are those, like, the first words the Mikaelson's are taught as children?"

"Actually" Klaus smirked while gesturing for Caroline to enter, "I'm almost positive our first words were 'mine' shortly followed by 'EBITA', but who can remember these things?"

"Figures," she muttered, walking past him into the spacious but somber apartment.

"But onto more pressing matters…did you find a dress?" he asked, noticing she was only holding one small gift bag in her hand.

Caroline saw that his eyes had settled on the gift Bonnie and Kat had given her that morning. She clutched the shameful collection of goodies safely to her side and replied, "In fact I did but it will remain at Bergdorf for the fittings. And then, as shocking as this may sound, Rebecca and I went for a quick bite, which is why I'm running a little late."

Klaus adopted a serious expression and a placed his hand to lift the woman's chin to the light. He tilted her face from side to side, as if to inspect her face.

Caroline scowled and lightly pushed his hand away. "What are you doing?"

"Checking for claw marks," he said matter of factly. "I assume my sister is the worse for wear?"

"Actually," Caroline began with a small, proud smile, "I think your sister and I may have reached a détente of sorts."

Klaus quirked his eyebrow before stating, "Miss Forbes, if you have somehow managed to declaw my sister then I believe your talents should be put to a greater service. Perhaps instead of finance you might consider brokering peace in the Middle East…"

"Haha," she said with a roll of her eyes, "I just said we called a truce. It's not like we're going to be braiding each other's hair and exchanging friendship bracelets any time soon but I do think we'll be able to coexist over the next year without any bloodshed." Caroline's face adopted a worried expression. "However, I'm sure all bets are off as soon as we're separated." Although, Caroline had only just begun tackling all that came with the engagement announcement, she was already nervous about the inevitable fall-out from separating in a year's time.

Klaus pursed his lips slightly. "Yes, well we've quite some time before we begin worrying about that. No sense in agonizing over it now," Klaus responded dismissively. "Now, love, shall we sit and begin our little study session?"

"Sure," she said walking down the stairs to the recessed living room.

"May I offer you something to drink," he asked, following her to the sitting area. "A glass of wine perhaps?"

"No, thanks," she said, placing her bag and purse beside her on the leather couch.

Klaus sat on the couch across from her and picked up the glass he'd abandoned when answering the door. "Maybe something harder then – scotch?" he asked, shaking the ice in his cut glass tumbler.

Caroline screwed up her nose and shook her head, "Nope, I stay away from the hard stuff. It took me a while but I've learned that it only takes about two of those before I'm waking up with a lampshade on my head and absolutely no memory of how it got there."

"Is that so? How unfortunate," Klaus said tersely, taking a long sip of the potent amber liquid.

"Oh, before I forget," Caroline said, foraging in her large purse to retrieve a single folded piece of paper. "I couldn't sleep last night so I went ahead and wrote up my guest list," she said passing the list to Klaus. "I included mailing addresses, email addresses and phone numbers, just in case the wedding planner needs all of that information."

"How thorough," Klaus drawled, taking a cursory review of the list. He furrowed his brow and flipped the page over to find the back blank. "This is it?"

"Yeah," Caroline responded simply.

"You've no more than 30 names here and that includes some of the wedding party," the Brit stated. "Surely you know more than 30 bloody people!

"Yes but I only included the people closest to me; people everyone would expect me to invite to a spur of the moment wedding, if you will," she said. "God forbid there is any glaring omission that might make this seem like a fake marriage," she said, her sarcasm thick.

"Surely you know more people who would want to see you walk down the aisle, sweetheart," Klaus said, recognizing most of the names on the list as Caroline's friends and colleagues. "What about family?"

He watched as Caroline tensed up, "I don't have any family, Klaus."

Klaus sensed her discomfort and wished he had been more tactful in his questioning. From Connor's background check he knew that she had no immediate family, save her deadbeat father; however, he assumed there must be some distant relative who could be there for her on such a momentous, albeit staged, occasion. While he hardly appreciated the nuisance that is his family, he could not help but feel sadness that this girl had no one. He could not help but feel some small amount of anguish at the thought of her ever feeling alone.

"No worries, love," he said, in a reassuring tone. "I'm sure there will be more than enough people clamoring for an invitation once the announcement is made in the New York Times this week. And as for family, you'll be lousy with it come May 18th."

"Great," she said, nodding her head slightly. "should make for an interesting year."

Caroline began to fidget, not knowing how to proceed with "getting to know" a man she's be acquainted with for nearly 8 years. She actually knew a great deal about Klaus – the way he strategically tackled complex issues, the way he could be ruthless and dominating with competitors, beguiling and charismatic with investors. She knew he favored small boutique hotels; he liked his wine French and red, his steaks grass fed and rare and his women blessed with certain ample physical attributes. However, she knew most of this through their day-to-day interactions at work as well as the business travel she so frequently accompanied him on. She realized that most of the personal information she knew of Klaus she gleaned from Stefan or Kol. "So…," she began, "how do you propose we begin?"

Klaus reclined into the rich leather cushions and splayed his arms across the back of the couch. "Why don't we start with you, love. I want to hear all of it: your hopes, your dreams… everything you want in life."

Caroline scoffed. While she understood that they would need to share a great deal of personal information to avoid being exposed to INS, she was more than a little hesitant to expose anything as intimate as her hopes and dreams to someone who would potentially use such details to mock her. "Yeah, I vote 'no' on that. Why don't we just focus on the basics?"

"Such as?" he asked.

"I don't know…," she said, sliding her flats off and tucking her legs underneath her, "I guess the basics. Like what's your middle name? What are your hobbies and passions? What are the things you can't live without? I mean, I know a lot about you already – I know you're one of six kids, you grew up in London… I know you were an equestrian but no longer ride… I know you went to Oxford and then LSE and that you like expensive scotch," she said pointing to the glass he currently had balanced on his lips, "but I don't know the little things INS would expect your fiancée to be aware of."

Klaus sipped at the aged liquid before placing the glass to rest on his knee. "I don't have a middle name," he stated simply, as if that answered the litany of questions she had just asked.

Caroline looked up to study his face, sure he was trying to be being difficult. "What do mean you don't have a middle name? Everyone has a middle name."

"As neither I nor my siblings have one, sweetheart, I must beg to differ. So, based on the fact that until this moment you have lived under the delusion that everyone has a middle name, I assume you have a simply grand one."

"It's Dargan," she replied, almost defiantly.

"Caroline Dargan Forbes?"

"Yes, Dargan was my mother's maiden name," she explained, noting his confusion. "It's somewhat common in the South for parents to use the mother or a grandmother's maiden name as a middle name."

Caroline gave a tender smile as she thought about the simple Southern traditions that set the region of the country apart; the small things that made it so homey and unique. "I used to hate the name Caroline when I was little. I thought it was too generic, too plain. So, on my first day of kindergarten I walked to the front of the class and announced to my teachers and classmates that I would be going by 'Dargan' from then on."

Klaus could easily conjure an image of a young and precocious Caroline marching into school with her blonde hair in pigtails, making demands.

"I take it that did not go over well."

"Not at all," she said, issuing a small chuckle. "The jig was up when my dad came to pick up 'Caroline' and not 'Dargan'. The teachers thought my little attempt at a coup was cute but my parents were none too pleased by the stunt."

Klaus watched as Caroline's eyes wandered to the window, obviously recounting the event in her mind. He assumed based on the small smile she still wore that it was a happy time for her.

"I tried everything to get my way – pleading, pouting. I explained in a way that only a 5 year old can that I was sick of being Caroline; I wanted to be different… special like Elena or Bonnie. I probably could have gotten my mom to bend to my will but my dad remained firmly against the name change. He said that if I got any more extraordinary that it wouldn't be fair to the other kids. He always had a way of saying things like that…," she continued before trailing off.

Klaus had never heard Caroline mention her father save one dinner when they first met. He was tempted to ask more but he lost his chance when he heard Caroline clear her throat. She was rubbing her hands over her arms, looking chilled.

"Actually, I think I will take that glass of wine," she said hurriedly, slightly embarrassed to be caught wandering off into her memories.

"What is your pleasure, love? Red or white?" he asked, recognizing this as her attempt to change the subject.

"I'm a little cold so maybe red would be better."

"As you wish," he said rising from his sofa and reaching out a hand to pull her up to join him.

She looked to the hand he offered confused. "Come," he said determinedly, "I'll show you part of my wine collection. Technically, fine wine qualifies as a passion, one of my favorite things and something I cannot live without."

Caroline hesitantly took his hand and was surprised by the ease with which he lifted her from the sofa. He guided her through the open kitchen, past the walk-in pantry to a heavy door complete with a digital thermostat. With his eyes trained on Caroline, he opened the door to reveal hundreds of bottles carefully arranged on the lacquered racks. Situated in the center of the room was a tasting table replete with wine wheels on either side, playing host to even more bottles. Over the table hung a large Tiffany light fixture, which cast a warm glow on the dark wood of the room. Klaus watched Caroline take in the sight before her and he was not disappointed as he watched her eyes widen in appreciation and wonder at the room and all it contained. She slowly walked around the room; her eyes excitedly running over the labels, some dated from this decade, others worn with time. She reached her hand forward to touch one of the older labels but immediately halted her hand and looked back to Klaus for permission.

Wearing a satisfied expression, Klaus gave her a small nod before moving from his perch against the doorframe to stand behind her, interested in the bottle that caught her attention.

"Ah, the Jean-Louis Chave Cornas. One of my favorites," he said picking up the bottle. "Excellent choice," he said before taking a wine key from a drawer to open the bottle.

A few moments elapsed before Caroline realized his intentions. "Klaus, no. I didn't mean for you to open it for me," she said, slightly flummoxed that he would open such a bottle for what was essentially an after dinner drink. "I was just curious because I've read everything Kermit Lynch has written about Rhone and the Chave family…"

Klaus raised an eyebrow at her, curious about her reaction. "So why not have a glass, love?"

"I don't know," she said, finding it difficult to express her hesitance, "I guess it just seems like a waste of a good bottle."

Klaus shook his head and against her wishes continued opening the bottle. "The only waste, sweetheart, would be to keep it hidden away on a shelf instead of enjoying it properly." He pulled out a delicate Riedel glass and filled it with a generous pour. "You will want this to breathe for a bit," he said, handing her the glass.

Caroline eyed the glass almost warily before taking hold of the stem, just above Klaus's hand. She pulled the glass towards her but noticed Klaus did not relinquish his hold. Confused, she looked up to meet his gaze.

"Caroline, you are to be my wife soon and with that will come all you desire and more. You will be offered the best of everything and not only will you accept it, you should come to expect it." He leaned in towards her and she found herself frozen in place. Klaus's face was so close she could feel his breath on her cheek as he spoke lowly, "you may even learn to enjoy it." He slowly elevated the glass to his lips and Caroline found her focus was pulled to that tinted pout. "Delicious," he murmured seductively before releasing it into her hand and walking back to the sitting area.

Caroline felt dazed, unsure of what exactly just transpired. She'd seen Klaus work his magic on many a woman but he'd never made such attempts with her - he knew she was too smart to be seduced by him. She wasn't sure what his game was but she knew he was up to something.

"You may feel free to spend more time reviewing the selection of wines at another time, love. I also have a catalogue of the wines I keep in storage, which you may pull from as you wish. My only request is that you refrain from opening the Petrus or the Le Pin I have stored here. It took me quite a bit of time and money to procure those bottles and I am waiting for just the right occasion to enjoy them." Klaus looked back to see that Caroline was still standing in the place he left her. Relishing in the knowledge that his small act of seduction seemed to leave the girl unbalanced, a devilish smile broke across his face. "Caroline, love, are you coming?" he asked in mock concern.

Caroline shook herself from her ruminations and returned to her seat on the sofa opposite Klaus. Again, she tucked her long, lithe legs underneath her and, again, found herself wrapping her arms around herself from the chill.

Noticing this, Klaus left the living room and returned with a soft yellow blanket that he handed to the blonde. Caroline was at first taken aback by the gesture of kindness but offered him thanks before asking, "anything else you would like to share about your hobbies? I know you used to paint..."

Klaus's shoulders went rigid and he picked up his glass and drained it. He went to the bar and, instead of refilling his glass, he returned with the bottle. He refilled his glass before responding.

"I still dabble upon occasion," he said evasively, "but I guess my newest passion would be racing cars. I've been purchasing vintage Porches and refitting them for the racetrack. I strip the interior to lighten the body, fit it with the standard security braces and rebuild the engine… Marcel and I occasionally take my cars to a track in Pennsylvania to race them. I took Kol once or twice but realized my folly after he wrecked not one but two of my vehicles." Caroline had to suppress a chuckle. She knew all too well Kol's shortcomings as a driver. Apparently, driving on the right side of the road was just one more rule that he refused to follow… "Elijah is far too safety conscious to enjoy racing but Stefan has joined me and Marcel once or twice."

"Really?" Caroline asked. "I thought Stefan couldn't stand Marcel. I can't see him voluntarily spending his free time with him."

"Marcel is an acquired taste, sweetheart –" he began.

"He's a scumbag," she finished for him.

Klaus nodded in agreement but continued, "be that as it may, he is a friend and you will likely see him here upon occasion."

"Super," she said, rolling her eyes.

"Which reminds me, I will be accompanying him on a trip to Dallas on Thursday. Marcel is having a difficult time wooing Texas Teachers pension group to invest and thought I may be able to help. I will be back on Sunday for our next prep session."

"You and Marcel unleashed in the land beauty pageant contestants for 3 whole days," Caroline mused. "I can only imagine the damage you'll do."

Klaus wagged his finger at the blonde and tisking. "Miss Forbes, how dare you imply any untoward behavior on my part! I will have you know that I am spoken for."

"Is that so?" she asked, entertained by this uncharacteristic display of playfulness.

"Indeed I am. She's an impertinent little thing and has quite the temper. I wouldn't so much as look at another woman for fear of the repercussions…" he finished, his dimples creasing his cheeks.

"She sounds terrible, now can we stop wasting time?" Caroline asked looking at her watch. "It's already getting late and I have to be at the gym early tomorrow."

"Of course Miss Forbes, back to business… I suppose other than wine and race cars, I enjoy playing racquet ball. In fact, Stefan and I had quite the exhausting match this morning at The Core Club. Which reminds me – I've added you to my membership so you should feel free to use the gym or spa as you wish. The facilities aren't extraordinary but it is an excellent place to network. I've probably brokered 5 deals in the steam room alone," he finished casually.

"_How to Close The Deal While Surrounded By A Bunch of Naked, Overpaid, Middle Aged White Guys_… I must have missed the day they covered that in my Business 101 class," Caroline said with a roll of her eyes.

"That's too bad. I'm sure you could get quite a bit accomplished in such a scenario, love," he said with a lascivious grin.

Before Caroline could supply a retort to wipe that look off of his face, Klaus continued. "Shall we move on to more mannered subjects?" he asked.

"Such as?"

"Such as you, of course," he smirked. "What are your passions; what can't you live without?"

"Hmmmm, my passions…, "she hummed, tucking the throw around her small frame. "I guess it would have to include anything involving food, wine, travel or music. I am a cookbook addict – I collect them and read them cover to cover like novels. I have so many that Stefan and I had to fashion stacks of them into a makeshift coffee table just to save space in our college apartment. It is virtually impossible for me to go into a bookstore without buying one. Stefan and Damon would have staged an intervention had they not benefitted from my obsession. I think I single handedly ruined Damon's six pack within the first two months after he moved in my Junior year with all of my cooking.

This elicited a reaction from Klaus. "Was the elder Salvatore frequently in some state of undress?" he asked, his displeasure evident.

Caroline furrowed her brow in confusion. "What do you mean?"

"For you to track the lamentable deterioration of his physique I would assume you would have to see him shirtless on more than one occasion, correct?" he asked again through a tight smirk.

"Damon isn't exactly used to women asking him to keep his clothes on but it wasn't like he was walking around naked all of the time. That being said, I don't know," she said with a slight shrug, "when you live in a small space with a good friend long enough, you're bound to see some... stuff," she responded almost dismissively, her cheeks lightly reddening.

"Is that so?" the Brit asked, again curling his mouth into a seductive smirk.

Understanding where his thoughts were leading, Caroline quickly added, "this," she said gesturing to the wide expanse of his apartment, "isn't exactly a 600 square foot converted two bedroom and you and I aren't friends. Remember, you will confine your nakedness to your bedroom," she finished, narrowing her eyes and pointing and accusatory finger at him.

Klaus raised his hands in surrender, "I've every intention to comply with that edict, Caroline."

"You better," she huffed, taking a long sip from her glass. "God this is so good!" she groaned in surprise and pleasure. She looked over the rim of her glass to see Klaus studying her, an inscrutable expression on his face. Feeling embarrassed with her unladylike reaction to the exquisite taste of the wine, she quickly continued, "sorry, where was I?"

"You were recounting what you most enjoy. You've added enough detail on your love of cooking and the elder Salvatore's washboard abs so why don't we move on to travel."

Caroline chose to ignore Klaus's jab and reached into her purse to retrieve her passport. "This is definitely one of my most prized possessions; it's at least in the top 3... And, in fact, my visit to the UK was my very first stamp. Most of the others are from work trips, which I guess I have you to thank for. But I hope to fill every page eventually," she said, flipping through the pages to reveal a colorful assortment of stamps and visas.

"Do you carry your passport with you everywhere?" he asked, taking the book from her hand to review the document.

"Everywhere," she confirmed. "I guess I always want to be prepared to leave for some faraway adventure at a moment's notice. I love the idea of being able to just take off for some exotic locale with just a couple of credit cards and my passport in hand," she said wistfully.

Klaus erupted into a fit of laughter.

"What?" Caroline snapped. She moved to rip her passport from his hands but he would not relinquish it from his grip.

"Caroline Forbes, you may be many things but spontaneous you are not. I'm sure you've dreamed up some idyllic circumstance in which close your eyes, spin the globe and choose a destination at random. Then you walk off of the plane and directly into paradise but the reality is that you are a person who cannot survive without an itinerary."

"That's not true," she said, crossing her arms and twisting her mouth into a pout. "I can be impulsive," she finished, sounding petulant.

"Oh come now, love, there's no need to get angry. Some of us are comfortable flying by the seat of our pants and then others," he said nodding his head at her, "well, others are planners, natural rule followers. Like it or not, you, my dear, are a planner. And an accomplished one at that," he said as he continued to peruse her passport, looking for something. Once located, he held up the page for her to see her Thailand stamp. "Take this trip for example. You did a wonderful job organizing the Bangkok conference – you selected the perfect space… great speakers… an unheard of turnout for an international meeting. Plans, schedules…they're in your blood sweetheart," he finished with a smile.

"Yeah, I guess it did turn out ok…," she muttered reluctantly, still smarting at the realization that she probably was deluding herself with dreams of spontaneity and adventure.

"It was much more than 'ok', Caroline. It was a resounding success."

"The Siam was the nicest hotel I've ever stayed in…" she said, still sounding a little defeated.

"You could not have made a better selection, love. And the entire event went off without a hitch due to your careful attention."

"I wouldn't say that's entirely true," she said, looking up to glare at her boss.

"How is that?"

"Well, I happen to remember a certain Brit showing up at my door past midnight on the last evening of the conference, drunk as a skunk and begging to hide in my room so he could evade a certain redhead…"

Klaus's face fell at the memory and he leaned forward, his expression deadly serious. "That woman was demented, Caroline. She practically set up a tent in front of my villa… I had no other recourse but to hide. She was certifiable."

Caroline could not help but give herself over to laughter at Klaus's reaction. In truth, she'd never seen this self-possessed man look as out of sorts as he did that night.

"The only crazy thing she did was sleep with you immediately after meeting you and expect you to be there the next morning," she argued.

"Caroline, she changed the seating cards at the dinner the night after our tryst so she could sit beside me and threaten to kill me," he said, his voice raised dramatically.

"Oh please," Caroline said, sipping her wine and waving him off, "I threaten to kill you at least once a week and I've never seen you run away like a scared little girl before."

"Perhaps that's because you've never effectively held me captive in public and then spent an entire meal whispering in my ear all the details of demise; specifically going into minute detail of my castration."

"I knew I liked her when I met her…" Caroline said wistfully. "Perhaps I should invite her to the wedding?" she suggested.

"I would imagine that woman has too many restraining orders against her to allow for travel to the states," he said. He gave an involuntary shudder at the memory of the fiery redheaded mistake before adding, "You know, as I recall, you and I both benefitted from my temporary exile."

Caroline raised an eyebrow. "Really? How do you figure that?" she asked.

"If memory serves, when I arrived you were quite distraught and mooning about your room…"

"I wasn't 'mooning about my room' – I was just disappointed that Stefan's flight was cancelled. He and I were supposed to tour Bangkok for my birthday the next day."

"You were positively maudlin and had I not come to you for sanctuary you would have spent your birthday on your own. So, as I said, we both benefitted," Klaus finished.

"I guess I do have to admit that you didn't completely ruin my birthday. In fact, you were almost tolerable."

"Tolerable?" Klaus cried in disbelief. "I was an outright saint. First, you force me to watch that bloody awful movie that night –"

"_The King and I_ is a classic and what movie could be better to watch before seeing Bangkok?" she interjected.

"Virtually anything else," he countered sarcastically. "Then you made me sleep on a sofa that required Cirque du Soleil inspired contortion so I could fit –"

"You weren't getting bed with me!" she barked.

"Yes, you were very clear about that, love… Then you wake me at the crack of dawn and force me to visit every wat, eat ever bit of street food and float down every random canal the city had to offer."

"Don't pretend you didn't have a good time," Caroline challenged. "I think I even have a picture of the great Klaus Mikaelson smiling like a real human being," she said sardonically.

That got Klaus's attention. "Do you?"

"I think so," she said, her focus now on appreciating another long sip of her wine.

"Do you have any of us together?"

"I'm almost positive that the guide took several. Why?"

Klaus leaned back into the sofa lost in contemplation. "Collect every picture of us you can find. It certainly wouldn't hurt to have some photographs prepared for INS. And, should they ask, we can say we began our relationship on that trip." Klaus's face broke into a look of complete self-satisfaction. "It's quite perfect, actually."

"Except for the fact that you slept with another woman on that trip," Caroline said, countering with a very obvious fact that would undermine his story.

"If that bit of information every comes out, and I doubt it ever will, I'll just have to say that being with another woman only served to confirm my suspicions that you were the one my heart desired. The night I went to your room I confessed my love for you, we shagged like rabbits which effectively ruined you for all other men," he said glibly, and enjoying the look of disgust on the blonde's face.

"Real romantic," she scoffed. Suddenly, her face went straight and Caroline drew her bottom lip between her teeth. She gave Klaus a contrite look before beginning, "About the whole 'shagging like bunnies' thing. I may have accidentally told the girls today that we haven't slept together." She braced herself for his reaction.

Klaus carefully rested his glass on the arm of the couch, his face stony. "Accidentally, you say…," he sucked in his cheeks and pursed his lips. Caroline could tell from experience that he was steadily getting more and more wound up.

"And how does such an accident occur, Caroline?" he asked. His voice was quiet and controlled but anyone familiar with Klaus would be able to feel the undercurrent of emotion that coursed just below the placid façade.

"It wasn't intentional," she argued, trying to assuage his anger. "I just had Katherine and Bonnie accusing me of basically being in some kind of _9 & A Half Weeks_ sex haze and then they tried to intervene in a really weird, and verrrrry inappropriate way…," she rambled. "And don't even get me started on your sister who kept accusing me of casting some kind of vagina spell on you and getting knocked up to trap you. And I don't know… I guess I just got overwhelmed and frustrated and I just kind of blurted it out without thinking." Her ramble finished, Caroline looked up to gauge Klaus's reaction.

Without giving her a second look, he drained his glass and quickly poured another. His silence only served to spurn Caroline to continue with her pressured speech. "Klaus, I know you aren't happy but this could be a good thing."

That got a reaction. "A good thing? Really? We are trying to sell ourselves as a happy couple weeks away from marriage and you think that revealing that we've never had sex can somehow be a good thing? Caroline, while you may not care about all I have to lose, need I remind you that you could actually be looking at jail time should our deception be discovered?"

"Klaus, just listen to me. I know that it will surprise anyone who knows you to think you'd wait more than a couple of minutes to jump into bed with someone but anyone who knows me wouldn't think it's completely out of character – especially being with a guy like you. And it would explain why we aren't that comfortable with each other."

"Are we not comfortable with each other, sweetheart? I mean, by your own admission, you feel more than comfortable enough with me to threaten my life on a regular basis…"

"I was referring to being physically comfortable. We don't exactly come off as touchy feely young lovers, you know? And if people think we're waiting until marriage, it may come off more like the awkwardness that comes from sexual tension instead of the discomfort we actually feel," she argued, upset that she had to defend herself for telling the truth.

Klaus allowed his eyes to rake over the blonde in a way that she would only describe as obscene. She tightened the throw around her shoulders, attempting to shield herself.

Klaus gave her a lewd grin, "so, my virgin bride feels uncomfortable when she's close to me. Is that correct, love?"

"What I feel is repulsion but to an outsider it might look more like discomfort…" she said smartly.

"Well…, we will have to find a way to fix that, won't we" he said, still wearing that damn smirk. "Until then, please refrain from discussing our love life or the lack there of with your knitting circle."

"Fine."

"Now, let's continue, my frigid little shrew." Klaus had to quickly duck to avoid the throw pillow that just narrowly missed his head.

It was one hour and several drinks later and the two had come to an agreement on the details of when their relationship began – a business trip in Thailand, why they kept it a secret – they did not want to be subject to media scrutiny and harsh office gossip, and how Klaus proposed – over a simple candlelit dinner in his apartment.

In an attempt to learn more about each other, the contentious topic of music came up. Both pulled out their respective iPods and the great debate began.

This required another bottle of wine.

"I'm assuming I should prepare myself to be assaulted by Katy Perry," Klaus mocked, as he scrolled through Caroline's music, "or perhaps that atrocious girl with the tongue," he said, searching for the name.

"Leave Miley alone and do not bad mouth Katy Perry," Caroline warned, stabbing a tipsy finger at him,. "I think she single handedly got me over the finish line of New York marathon last year," she said before bursting into song. "Cuz baby you're a firework!"

"If that little show is in any way indicative of what is to follow, perhaps we should talk about something a little less theatrical," Klaus deadpanned, slurring ever so slightly with the effects of the scotch he had consumed.

After sticking out her tongue, Caroline decided to defend her song choices. "While I have some guilty pleasure workout music, most of what I listen to tends to be more old school."

"Such as?" he asked with a raised eyebrow.

Caroline gave a slight shrug of her shoulders before she began, "I dunno…I grew up listening to Motown, beach music, the crooners like Ella Fitzgerald and Dean Martin, country, classic rock… I will basically listen to anything."

"Obviously," he retorted, reading through her playlists. "How can one person have so much Journey and REO Speedwagon? Please tell me this isn't what you consider to be classic rock."

"I most certainly do," she shot back. "But I'm assuming you don't?" she challenged.

"I wouldn't consider this rubbish to be music, much less classic rock," he scoffed. "Classic rock is Led Zepplin, The Rolling Stones, Pink Floyd, The Who…"

Caroline crossed her arms over her chest. "Wow, shocking – you only chose British bands."

Klaus offered the blonde a condescending curl of his mouth, "Love, I cannot help it if we have produced superior music…"

Caroline lurched forward on her seat, so infuriated by Klaus's British snobbery. "Are you fucking kidding me? While I will concede that I love every band you named, there are just as many, if not more, influential American artists."

Klaus moved to refill both glasses, absolutely reveling in getting underneath Caroline's skin. There were so many sides to this woman but only he could bring out the "You infuriate me to no end and I refuse to lose an argument to you" version of the blonde dynamo. "I'm all ears, love," he said, gesturing with his hand for her to continue

"Oh, I don't know…," she said sarcastically, "maybe Buddy Holly or Chuck Berry… And then there was that guy…," she said, tapping her finger on her lips as if searching for the name. She snapped her fingers and said triumphantly, "Oh, yeah Elvis freakin' Presley!"

"We had The Beatles, sweetheart."

"We had The Beach Boys – they basically helped pave the way for The Beatles. And when you intimate that we didn't have classic rock? All I can say is Jimi Hendrix, Janis Joplin and Aerosmith…"

"The Sex Pistols."

"The Ramones."

"Elton John."

"Billy Joel."

"Dusty Springfield."

"Aretha 'The Queen of Soul' Franklin!," Caroline practically shrieked.

The back and forth seemed to go on for ages before Caroline suggested Klaus use their respective iPods to play selections from contested artists. Klaus sat on the floor beside his stereo system, acting as DJ as Caroline stood on the sofa, glass in hand, bouncing up and down to emphasize any point she wished to make.

"Are you honestly going to argue that Prince is more than a little man in platform shoes?"

"I really don't need to," she replied. "Play _Little Red Corvette._"

The Brit complied and watched with a smile as Caroline began to sing along.

_I guess I should have known by the way she parked her car sideways that it wouldn't last…_

"See? He's basically saying that he understands that this is just a fling because this woman only lives in the moment; she doesn't think about the consequences of her actions. Not everyone has to lift from Tolkien to be deep," she finished, giving him a teasing smile.

Klaus narrowed his eyes at her, immediately understanding her reference. "Don't you dare speak ill of my beloved Led Zeppelin," he warned.

"Ha!" she responded, jumping up and down in celebration, "you knew exactly who I was referring to! And, I mean I love them but _if there's a bustle in your hedgerow? _What does that even mean?"

Klaus pursed his lips and continued to look for ammunition against the superiority of American music within Caroline's playlists. He quickly noticed one entitled "Now" and could see by the indication that the songs within this list were 'favorites' that she must listen to this particular collection more that any else. He was hoping to open the Pandora's Box of poorly written teenage angsty drivel but was surprised by what he found. Radiohead's _There There_, Rufus Wainwright's _Go or Go Ahead_, _Gone Away from Me _by Ray LaMontagne, Ryan Adams's _Why Do They Leave and _Adele's_ Don't You Remember _to name a few_…_ Klaus was sure that he had just stumbled upon the soundtrack to Caroline's heartbreak and he was stunned that a woman who radiated such light could ever be steeped in such dark sorrow.

He came across one artist he was unfamiliar with and without thinking asked aloud, "who is Solange?"

He looked up to see Caroline freeze in place and immediately regretted his loose tongue. He chastised himself for drinking so much but he had been having so much fun…; he'd been so enjoying this lighthearted time with the woman he was soon to call his wife but he ruined it. I am such a fool, he thought, mentally berating himself.

"You can play it," Caroline said softly before soberly stepping down from the couch. She resumed her prior position; her elbow resting on the arm, her legs tucked underneath her.

_**Tell me the truth, boy, am I losing you for good?**_

_**We used to kiss all night but now there's just no use.**_

_**I don't know why I fight it, clearly we are through.**_

_**Tell me the truth, boy, am I losing you for good?**_

"What was the worst part?" Klaus asked.

Caroline looked down at her hands, which were placed in her lap. At first, he believed she was engrossed in the song and did not hear him, but then she looked up, her expression somber.

"Probably being so out of control," she said.

"How so?"

"I don't really know how to explain it properly," she began with a sigh. "I've never been really good at anything," she said. When she saw Klaus open his mouth to protest, she raised her hand to cut him off. "I'm not a natural at anything is what I mean. I always had to try harder than other people. I'm not like you who can basically pick something up at your first attempt. So, I worked harder, studied more, woke up earlier to practice and eventually, whatever it was would come to me."

_**There's nothing more I know you're taking it away from me**_

_**I gave you everything and now there's nothing left of me**_

"I think that because of my past experience that I just always that that if I tried hard enough, I could do anything; I could effectively control my destiny. Which was pure hubris on my part because no matter how hard I tried, I couldn't make my relationship work. My best wasn't good enough. I couldn't make Matt happy."

_**I'm not the one that you should be making your enemy**_

_**I'm not the one that you should be making your enemy**_

"I knew he was unhappy but convinced myself that it was because he was having a hard time transitioning from life in Boston to the New York so I introduced him to people and collected information on football and running clubs. When that didn't work I reasoned it was because he was having difficulty finding a job. So I set up an account for him on LinkedIn and scoured through job postings. I even sent him to interview for an account rep spot at one of our portfolio companies. I thought he'd be perfect for it," she said with a sad smile, embarrassed to reveal the lengths she went to for a boy who would eventually leave her.

_**Tell me the truth, boy, am I losing you for good?**_

_Baby you know I tried_

"But, soon I found that the more I tried, the more unhappy he got. When he didn't get the job at Edelstein & Associates he decided to leave. He went back to Mystic Falls and told me to stay here. He said it was for my own good…, that I would be miserable there."

_**We used to kiss all night but now there's just no use.**_

_Can't lose you from my life_

"He was right," Klaus said, finally speaking up. "Small town boy, small town life…it wouldn't have been enough for you."

_**I don't know why I fight it, clearly we are through.**_

_Baby you know I tried_

She raised her head and her eyes met Klaus's probing gaze. "It guess I'll never know," she said in a small voice.

_**Tell me the truth, boy, am I losing you for good?**_

_How could you waste my time?_

"Do you still love him?" he questioned.

"I think that if you truly love someone, you never really stop," she said sincerely.

Klaus nodded at her answer.

The song ended and Klaus looked down to his iPod, seemingly lost in his own thoughts before he glanced up to Caroline.

"Let's try something," he said before plugging the cable into his iPod and queuing a new song.

Caroline immediately recognized the voice and gave Klaus a curious look. "Ella Fitzgerald?"

"Yes," he said standing. "Perhaps we should work on becoming more comfortable with each other."

With_ Easy to Love _playing softly in the background, Klaus settled the iPod on the stereo and pushed the large glass coffee table against the wall to give them more space. He moved to stand before Caroline. Her eyes closed and wearing a dreamy expression, she hummed the first few bars before she felt Klaus remove the wine glass from her hand. She opened her eyes to see him place it carefully on the end table before he returned, his hand extended towards her. "Dance with me."

She paused briefly, contemplating this gesture, considering this moment. She'd been much more open with Klaus than she ever intended to be. She'd recounted painful memories and shared her underlying insecurities with someone she knew would offer her no sympathy. Things she never admitted to her closest friends. Oddly enough, Caroline did not feel exposed by her admissions, in fact she felt some form of relief at finally saying it all out loud without the subsequent guilt of burdening someone she loved with the knowledge of the pain she'd felt so keenly. She knew with great relief that she would see no pity in Klaus's eye and he would not feel compelled to offer her words of sympathy that, to the grieving, so often sound stale and hollow.

And with her admissions came clarity. What she told Klaus was true - you never stop loving someone. She'd loved Matt as a child, as a teen and she loved him when they found their way back to each other late in college. He was her friend, her lover, her champion and her savior. He was the last connection she had to her home. He was her first love but she was slowly coming to accept that maybe he would not be her last. The passage of time was allowing her to gradually heal, work and travel allowed her some relief from wallowing in her own grief and the incessant thoughts of "what if?" that plagued her tired mind but it wasn't until she began this wedding hoax that she recognized that her heart had been gradually stitching itself up without her ever being the wiser. Trying on dresses had not gone without incident; Caroline found herself staring at her image in the mirror more than once, her heart clenched with the memories of studying wedding magazines with Bonnie and Elena not so long ago for a different event. And listening to one of the many anthems of her heartbreak just now served to unearth some of the feelings that once haunted her but Caroline was curious to find that these experiences produced mere pangs now, not the gut wrenching pain that used to overwhelm her not so long ago. So, yes, Caroline still loved Matt and she knew she always would. But maybe someday when she was healed fully, maybe if she was lucky enough to find someone who would accept her fully, maybe then she would be ready to love again.

Tentatively, Caroline stood and placed her delicate hand in Klaus's and he lead her to the center of the room. He moved a hand to the small of her back and held her firmly against him while cupping her right hand and moving it into position towards his shoulder. They slowly began to move to the music, swaying gracefully against each other while Ella crooned.

Caroline continued to hum along to the tune.

"Do you like this song, love?" he asked, his eyes eagerly searching her face for something.

"Mmmm," she replied in the affirmative. "I used to stay with my grandfather for a few weeks each summer. Just the two of us. He'd put on Ella and bring out old photos of my grandmother. She'd died years ago - when my mom was still young - but you wouldn't know by the way he talked about her."

Caroline began to play absentmindedly with the seam of Klaus's shirt at the shoulder when suddenly she could feel his thumb running over the base of her spine, as if in response. She tensed slightly at the intimacy of his touch.

He leaned in, his breath scorching her ear. "You have to relax, sweetheart," he breathed. "As you said, you must become comfortable with my touch. Now, finish your story."

Caroline steadied herself before continuing, trying desperately to ignore the heat rising from the base of her back. "Every visit he'd tell me how they met. He'd go into minute detail describing how he ended up at the church dance, who he was talking to when he first saw her, what she was wearing, the way she wore her hair… And this was the song that was playing when he finally built up the courage to ask her to dance. She'd been dead for decades but he was still madly in love with her," she finished with a sigh.

"Is that all you think of when you hear this?"

Caroline gave Klaus a quizzical glance, taken aback by the question. However she was quickly becoming accustomed to Klaus's more probing queries. "I know the song is about unrequited feelings but whenever I hear it, all I think about is the kind of epic love my grandparents had."

The two continued to sway in perfect rhythm around the living room, their eyes locked and their moves in step with the music and with one another.

"You're quite the dancer," Klaus murmured, his eyes intent on her visage.

"I had training," she replied simply. "I was Miss Mystic Falls."

Klaus gave her an inscrutable smirk, his dimples on full display. "Yes, I think I recall hearing that once before," he said before easily leading the blonde into a slightly quicker step, punctuated by a languid spin.

"And, of course, this is just one more thing that you probably perfected without even trying," she teased with just a hint of bitterness in her tone.

Caroline noticed that Klaus's expression had turned intense and she worried misunderstood her.

"You know, because everything just seems to come so naturally to you..." She elaborated.

Klaus readjusted his hold on her, gently pulling her body flush against the hard planes of his chest and entwining his fingers with hers.

"I think you will find that there are a few things that do not come naturally to me, Caroline. Things that I cannot master despite my best efforts..."

Caroline could feel the air become oppressive with tension and she swallowed thickly.

"Well, from my experience, if you really want to accomplish something you have to keep working at it...practicing. And if that doesn't work, you just have to try even harder."

"Believe me, love," he said, his voice a hoarse whisper, "I'm giving it all that I've got."

"Then it's only a matter of time," she said simply, hoping to end what had become an uncomfortably serious conversation.

Caroline felt herself drowning in the intensity of his heavy gaze and had to look away; to occupy herself with something that wasn't the piercing blue eyes of her boss/fiancé/soon-to-be-husband/soon-to-be-ex-husband. Desperate for a distraction, she looked around the room and pretended to study her stark surroundings. She traced over the dark wood and leather of the angled furniture, the oppressively lonely paintings, the colorless, small accent pieces placed here and there more for their uniqueness and beauty than any connection to a memory or experience. Caroline's gaze moved over the shelves of one of Klaus's bookcases, attempting to engross herself in the titles she found there when her eyes settled on a familiar object.

"Caroline," Klaus asked, his voice straining with emotion, "do you think you could ev-"

Caroline whipped her head to face Klaus and pushed herself out of his embrace. "What did you do?" she questioned, moving to the object that caught her eye on the bookcase.

Klaus, disappointed that the moment was broken, cringed as he realized to what she was referring.

"Sweetheart," he began in his most placating tone.

"Don't you dare 'sweetheart' me Klaus!" she said, inspecting the picture she recognized so well. "Why do you have the picture I keep on my bedside table in your apartment?"

Her eyes frantically searched the rest of the living room for signs when she came upon another artifact from her home.

"You son of a bitch," she breathed, taking the yellow throw that had offered her such warmth and comfort not so long ago. The pads of her fingers ran across the frayed stitched initials 'C.D.F' on one of the corners. "You stole my stuff," she accused.

"I did not _steal_ anything, Caroline. If you recall, you and I agreed that you would move in with me. You seemed overwhelmed with the details of the move so I took it upon myself to help move things along… I hoped this would relieve you of the burden of packing."

Caroline shot him a deadly glare and just shook her heard at him, her nostrils flaring. She was so angry that she could not even articulate a sentence. Unwilling to even consider Klaus's pathetic rationale, she stomped to the guest room they'd agreed would be hers.

She walked to the threshold of the room, her arms bracing either side of the doorway.

"What happened to the bed that was in here?" she gritted out between clenched teeth.

Adopting the most innocent expression, Klaus explained, "I had it removed and replaced with a beautiful Regency rosewood desk I found. I thought you would appreciate having a home office."

Caroline took inventory of the room and noticed several moving boxes stacked in the corner. It was obvious that he had somehow packed and moved over most of the contents of her apartment over the course of the day.

"How did you get in?"

Klaus poured himself another glass of scotch – this time filling it to the rim before answering hesitantly. "Of course, I knew that someone as undependable as Damon wouldn't be your only key keeper so I assumed Stefan would have one… I may have convinced him that you tasked me with your move but forgot to give me the key. And of course, I would never disturb you and the girls while shopping for your wedding dress."

Caroline made a mental note to eviscerate Stefan before continuing, "we agreed that I would have my own bed," she said, finally turning to shoot daggers at the man whose one act had quickly erased all of the goodwill he had earned over the course of the evening.

Klaus quirked his head and raised a hand in protest. "Love, we agreed you would have your own bed and you do," he finished, pointing to his bedroom.

"No," Caroline stomped, "the contract explicitly states that I get my own bed!"

Klaus walked to the entrance of his room and waved her forward, smiling. "Sweetheart, if you come in I think you will find that you do have your own bed."

Hearing the barely concealed mischief in his voice, Caroline rushed past him into the room and suddenly halted, her breath caught in her throat.

"Wha…how…this is wrong!" she finally got out.

"Actually," Klaus retorted, trailing a hand over the simple IKEA headboard, "this is exactly what you requested, love. You wanted your own room and your own bed… You have your own room," he said gesturing to the office he set up for her down the hall, "and you have your own bed," he finished, patting his hand on the full sized mattress.

"You stealing my bed from my apartment doesn't count, Klaus. You know that isn't what I meant," she argued, her voice laced with frustration.

"But sweetheart," Klaus began, now lazily lounging upon the topic of their debate, "you will find that it does. Feel free to call Damon if you wish but your desire to have your own bed and your own room were listed separately. Therefore, housing your bed within my bedroom falls fully within the confines of our contract."

"I will murder you," Caroline breathed.

"Hold that thought, love," Klaus said, bounding from the bed and leading her into the shared walk-in closet.

He trailed his hand over the long racks of clothing, most Caroline noticed still had tags.

"What is this?" she asked, her arms folded across her chest.

"I hope you don't mind but I took the liberty of getting Belinda to pull some pieces for you after she took your measurements."

"Yeah, I mind," Caroline bit out. She walked to one of the racks and began to search through the clothing roughly, examining the tags for names and prices. "Let's see," she said before pulling out a dress and throwing it to the floor, "Lanvin, McQueen," she huffed tossing another garment down. "Oh and I'm sure this is a limited edition Chanel bag," she said, knocking it off the shelf. She turned to face Klaus, her eyes blazing with fury. "Did you really think you could just buy some designer clothes like this is _Pretty Woman _and I would be cool with you invading my privacy and manipulating our agreement? "

"Caroline, please be reasonable."

Caroline ignored him and continued to search through the drawers and shelves of the walk-in.

"You've already unpacked my clothes?" she cried in frustration and slammed a drawer closed. "How dare you go through my things!"

"To be fair, sweetheart, I had my housekeeper Maria come in and organize most of your things. However, anything that did not have an obvious place she left in the boxes in your office for you to go through at your leisure."

"Am I supposed to thank you for having a stranger go through my personal belongings instead of you, you perv?" she practically shrieked.

"Caroline, you are getting yourself worked up for no good reason. You were going to move in sooner than later… It just happened to be sooner than expected."

Caroline leaned against the wall of the closet and slid down to the floor, distraught and tired. She looked around at the mess she made and thought about her next move. She couldn't go back to her place because she had no bed and all of her belongings had been removed. She checked the time and realized it was too late for her to drop in on one of her friends for shelter. She could always go to a hotel, she considered…

Her decision made, Caroline lifted herself up and began to calmly search through the drawers once again.

"Where are my pajamas and robe?" she asked.

Klaus gave a relieved sigh, believing she'd conceded to his logic and was now willing to share his apartment and bed.

"I believe Maria kept them packed in some of the boxes, love, but you will see that Belinda provided several sleep sets and robes for you." Klaus opened one of the tops drawers, obviously familiar with the placement of Caroline's new belongings.

The blonde reached in and pulled out a cornflower blue silk Myla slip with white lace embellishments. The rest of the items in the drawer were similar delicate, romantic pieces.

"I want my stuff," she growled, tossing the chemise back in the drawer. "Did you tell her not to unpack it so I would have do walk around in this, looking like an idiot?"

Klaus sucked in a breath and gave her a sheepish look. "Actually, love, you will find that Maria has a mind of her own. She took it upon herself to keep certain items packed away for your consideration."

"My consideration?" she asked, confused.

Klaus moved his hands behind his back and began to rock on his toes. "Umm, yes, it seems Maria thought some of your items were quite worn and that you might consider donating them to Goodwill…"

Caroline's jaw dropped open in shock. Even Klaus's housekeeper was a snob.

"Get out," Caroline snapped in a low growl.

"Sweetheart," Klaus began to plead.

Clenching her fists to her sides, she continued. "Get out before I fashion one of these hangers into a dagger and stab you!"

"Fine," Klaus said, backing out of the closet and towards the bedroom door. "I will give you time to get sorted."

Klaus picked up his discarded scotch but nearly lost his hold on the glass with the force of the slam that came behind him. He looked back towards his bedroom door, surprised it was still on its hinges.

"Well, that went better than expected," he mumbled to himself.

Caroline sat on the bed, her head in her hands. How could she have been naïve enough to begin trusting Klaus? She'd been open and honest with him and, once again, he'd found a way to abuse her trust. She contemplated her next move. Unfortunately, the wheels were already in motion and she couldn't get out of the agreement. She couldn't move out without raising suspicions… Her options were limited but she would be damned if she allowed him to get away with what he did today with no retribution.

A slow, devious smile crept onto the blonde's face. She pulled her cell out of her pocket and sent a quick text to Rebecca. She figured the other blonde had some hand in today's little betrayal, which meant she owed Caroline a favor.

With her retribution plotted out, Caroline perked up and walked back into the closet.

Klaus was sitting on the sofa, nursing his drink when the bedroom door opened. The man practically spat the liquid back in his glass as he took in the sight before him.

Caroline leaned in the doorway, wearing a short silk robe that remained untied and exposed the matching jade chemise that was underneath. Her long blonde hair cascaded down one shoulder and Klaus's eyes traveled down the waves to where they fell, just below the curse of her breast. He felt his face grow hot as he realized there was no barrier between her ivory skin and silk of the garment. He made himself to look away, embarrassed to be caught gawking. His eyes inadvertently settled on the long line of her toned legs. He forced in a deep intake of air, realizing that for a moment he had stopped breathing.

"Klaus," Caroline said in a throaty whisper.

Klaus looked back to her face to see her eyes soft.

"Yes, love?" he croaked out.

"What are you doing all the way over there?" she asked with a coquettish batting of her long eyelashes.

It took only a moment for Klaus to understand her and he flew from his seat to stand before her.

"Are you ready to go to bed?" she murmured.

"I am," he responded, reaching to take one of her golden curls between his fingers.

Before he knew it, she'd moved away from him, bending to pick something up.

"Good," she said harshly, shoving a pillow and blanket into his hands.

Klaus looked down dumbly, trying to process the last sequence of events. He looked back to Caroline who was slowly closing the door and then back to the items in his hands.

"Oh and Klaus," Caroline began, opening the door wider, "before I forget."

Crack!

Klaus dropped the bedding to the floor before clutching his cheek, which was throbbing from the force of Caroline's slap.

"What in the bloody he-" he began angrily before abruptly stopping. "I assume that was for the kiss last night?" he asked.

"Yep," Caroline clipped out before slamming the door the in the Brit's face.

Klaus continued to massage the side of his face, feeling the heat emanate from his cheek. He picked up the bedding and arranged it on the sofa.

"I should probably invest in a sleeper sofa," he muttered before settling himself for what would likely be one of many long nights spent just outside of his bedroom.


	17. Chapter 15

The Contract: Chapter 15

Over a full day of travel to get back to NYC but I'm so happy to be home! Is it terrible that one of the highlights of the trip was finishing season 3 of Luther on the plane? All I can say is that I may love Alice Martin as much as I love Caroline…

Thanks to everyone who sent reviews – I appreciate the positive ones and the constructive criticism.

**Sarcasticaccola** – You are a complete stranger but I may have to dedicate this story to you! Your enthusiasm and support keeps me motivated to continue because, honestly, I am more than content to read vs. write fanfiction.

** . ** – Thank you for your help and input and I am loocking forward to your next chapters of Red Passion!

Speaking of fanfiction, anyone looking for good stories should check out Avari20 and gwrageddnc. Unbelievable stories!

The days leading up to the initial INS interview passed relatively free of incident. Granted, Klaus got more than an earful from Stefan for tricking him into giving him access to Caroline's apartment, but he knew that was to be expected. However, what he had not expected was for Rebecca to give him such a vociferous dressing down for involving her in a scheme which could have undermined the small break through the two blondes had made. She was incensed that she'd been manipulated into unwittingly playing the part of the distraction for Caroline while Klaus moved her things to his home. Klaus wasn't sure if he should be pleased that his sister and fiancée were becoming closer or if he should worry about their sudden alliance. When he considered Rebekah's ruthless vindictiveness coupled with Caroline's ingenuity and tenacity, the answer was obvious. Worry.

While Caroline vacillated between indifference and hostility behind closed doors, she had been playing the role of a newly engaged woman to a 'T'. Both the NYT engagement photo shoot and related interview along with the meeting with the wedding planner went surprisingly smoothly. While she was not as actively engaged at either meeting as Klaus, she did make an effort to mirror the excitement and enthusiasm that Klaus made an effort to display. They'd even managed to get their wedding license without much friction.

"Feeling the butterflies in your stomach, yet?"

Klaus looked up from his computer screen to find Stefan had strolled into his office, leaving the door open behind him and taking a seat in front of his desk.

"So you're speaking to me again I see," Klaus responded coolly.

Stefan gave him an abrupt nod. "Palms sweating, heartbeat racing?" he asked.

Klaus settled back in his desk and considered the man seated across from him. "What are you blathering on about?"

Stefan looked down at his watch and asked, "It's almost game time, isn't it? Caroline said you have your first meeting with INS at 5."

"Ahhh, it's good to hear that you two girlfriends are thick as thieves, again," Klaus said, his voice thick with sarcasm.

"No thanks to you," was Stefan's rejoinder. "Knowing I had a dinner on Monday, she snuck into my place and left a note saying she dipped something of mine in the toilet and that I would have to guess what it was. I had to go out at midnight and buy a new tooth brush, comb… everything," he muttered.

"So that's where she was," Klaus huffed.

Stefan merely raised an eyebrow in response.

"Caroline and I got into a bit of a tiff that night about me smoking on the terrace with the door open. She requested that I close it and when I refused she locked me out."

Stefan burst into laughter.

"Do not laugh! My phone was inside and I was stuck out there for hours," he griped.

"Wait, didn't it rain that night?"

"Yes," Klaus bit out, his jaw clenching at the memory. His future bride had strolled back into the apartment at some point later to place bedding on the couch, toiletries on the coffee table and then quietly unlocked the terrace door. By the time Klaus realized this, his bedroom door was locked with Caroline sleeping soundly inside.

That reminded him of something. He quickly jotted a note to have Maria remove the locks on all of the doors, save his studio.

"Well, Stefan, am I to assume you are here to wish me luck or to watch me enjoy what could be my last few hours in your country?"

Stefan wagged his finger at his friend, "Come on, Klaus. It's not like you to sound so defeated. As long as you play nice with Caroline, you two should do fine."

"I'm not the one being difficult, Stefan, it's her! She-" he said, lifting his chin to gesture towards her office before he trailed off. As if summoned, he suddenly saw Caroline walking towards the elevator with a broad shouldered, dark haired man donning faded jeans and a leather jacket. The two were laughing as she leaned in to press the button.

"She what?" Stefan prompted, before turning around to see what was distracting his friend.

"Who is that?" he questioned.

"Who? Jeremy?" Stefan asked, turning back to face the Brit.

"Jeremy? He's quite the hulking chap, wouldn't you say?" Klaus asked attempting to sound casual. He had to restrain himself from pulling out the pictures Mr. Jordan had procured for him from his bottom drawer.

"Yeah, he's a pretty big guy," Stefan answered with a smirk. He was very aware of the question Klaus had not yet voiced but was happy to make him sweat.

Klaus looked from Stefan back to the two by the elevator just in time to see Jeremy lean in to give Caroline a hug and a chaste kiss on her cheek before stepping into the elevator.

"For God's sake, Stefan, who is he?" he gritted out.

"He's Caroline's trainer."

Klaus raised a questioning brow, "And how do you know him? You train at The Core Club. And why would Caroline's trainer come to her office?"

Stefan offered a simple shrug. "They're friends. I've met him at a couple of her dinners…he's a good guy. As for why he's here, you'd have to ask her."

Before Klaus could say any more, Caroline walked in with her bag. "So, are you ready?" she asked looking at the time on her blackberry. "We need to leave now if we don't want to be late."

Stefan rose to leave and sensing Caroline's nervousness, he gave her a quick, one-armed hug. "You'll do fine," he said reassuringly.

Caroline leaned into her friend, comforted by his touch. "Thanks, Stef."

"Anytime."

Klaus moved past the two and, without a second look, he called, "Come on then."

Caroline rolled her eyes and joined him on the elevator.

Before the doors closed she called out, "Hey Stef, did you figure out what it was I put in the toilet?"

Stefan couldn't help but chuckle at the sight of her devious grin, "No, but I already replaced most of my toiletries, no thanks to you."

Caroline feigned a serious expression and nodded her head gravely. "You're cold, Stef, very cold but here's a clue… You may not want to eat in until you figure it out…" she stated simply as the doors closed.

"Put that thing away," Klaus hissed, reaching over to remove Caroline's blackberry from her hand and placing it in his pocket.

The two had completed a mountain of paperwork and were now waiting for their INS case manager to arrive for the interview.

"Give it back," she snapped, reaching for the device. "I've barely gotten any work done since…," she said lowering her voice to a whisper, "all of _this_ started. So – Give. It. Back!"

Caroline was moments from causing Klaus physical harm when someone walked through the open door behind them. The two immediately straightened up as the INS representative moved to the desk in front of them, placing a file down. Klaus looked over the dowdy woman across from him and felt a wave of relief wash over him. This makes things easy, he thought confidently…

"Hello, I'm Mrs. Hines and I will be your INS case manager," she said brusquely, opening the file without giving the couple a second glance. "Would you please confirm your names for me? Are you Niklaus Mikaelson?" She asked.

"Yes, but, please, call me Klaus," he said, using his most charming tone.

She ignored his attempt at pleasantness and continued, "And are you Caroline Dargan Forbes?"

"Yes, ma'am," Caroline replied as she fidgeted with her hands nervously.

The caseworker looked up to Caroline briefly before turning back to her paperwork.

"May I see a copy of your marriage license?"

"Of course," he replied, still using his most conciliatory tone. He produced the document from his inside jacket pocket and slid it across the desk to her. "Here you go."

She gave the paper a cursory review before laying it down and finally looking at the couple. "So here's the deal. Due to Mr. Mikaelson's visa –"

"Klaus, please," he interjected, trying to catch the interviewer's eye.

"As I was saying," she continued without missing a beat, "due to Mr. Mikaelson's visa status, your marriage will have to go under review over the course of the next year. After our initial meeting, I, along with one of my colleagues, will be making both scheduled and unscheduled visits at your home for follow-up interviews. You will be interview together and separately. Do you understand?" she asked, looking between the two.

"I think so," Klaus said with a broad smile, which Mrs. Hines turned from with a poorly masked look of contempt.

"And you, Ms. Forbes?"

"Yes, ma'am," she replied.

Mrs. Hines put down her papers and leaned back in her chair, still looking at Caroline. "That's the second time you've referred to me as ma'am."

"I'm sorry, it's a habit," Caroline said, apologetically. In fact, it was a habit from her upbringing that she found difficult to break when in the presence of authority. Unfortunately, she found some women in the North took it as less a sign of respect and more an indirect allusion to their ages.

"Where are you from?" Mrs. Hines asked.

"Mystic Falls, Virginia," Caroline said proudly, her accent to creeping out.

"Athens, Georgia," Mrs. Hines said, pointing at herself. "So what's a good Southern girl like you doing with fancy pants over here?" she asked, gesturing to a confused Klaus.

Caroline smiled and gave an exaggerated shrug. "You know, I keep asking myself the same question," she said, laughing softly.

"How did you meet?"

Klaus replied before Caroline had the chance. "We met through a mutual friend. They knew each other from university and he and I became friends while he was studying abroad in London. Caroline came over on holiday to visit him and that's when we met. That was just over seven years ago."

"Seven years?" Mrs. Hines questioned. "But you haven't been together that long," she said, referring to her file.

Klaus tried to get a look at the papers she was shuffling through. He was suddenly aware of how alarmingly thick the file was.

"That's right, Mrs. Hines. It took seven long excoriating years before I could convince Caroline to give me a chance."

Mrs. Hines tilted her head and moved her hawk-like gaze from Klaus to Caroline. "Is that right?" she asked.

Caroline gave a meek smile, and nodded. "Yes, we only started dating last September."

"There should be a monument erected to commemorate my patience," Klaus chuckled.

"Indeed," was Mrs. Hines' curt reply. "And why was that?" she asked, directing her question to Caroline.

Again, Klaus took it upon himself to answer. "Timing… Our timing was always just a bit off. When we met, Caroline was seeing someone and then there was the distance with her in school in the US and me finishing school and then working in London. Once I moved over and we were finally in the same city, she was in a long-term relationship… It took a long time for it to happen but, now that it has, I can say it was worth the wait," he finished, giving Caroline a tender look and moving his hand to her lap to grasp her hand in his.

"Caroline, you were engaged until recently, is that correct?" the caseworker asked.

Caroline's eyes widened in surprise at the question and, again, Klaus wished he could read what was in that case file.

"Umm, yes, I was engaged but we broke up about a year and a half ago," she said, a blush creeping onto her cheeks.

"For Mr. Mikaelson?"

"Excuse me? What?" asked, completely taken aback by the question.

Klaus squeezed her hand reassuringly before saying, "As Caroline stated before, we didn't begin seeing each other until this past September, almost a year after her break-up. I can assure you that nothing romantic in nature occurred between us while she was with her ex. Caroline is not that kind of person and, frankly, I won't hear of you implying otherwise." His attempt at charm was now discarded for a more hostile tone.

Mrs. Hines finally graced Klaus with a smile. "I've no doubt," she said sincerely. "It just needed to be asked."

Klaus's relaxed his posture.

"You see," she continued, "INS has received information that makes us question the veracity your relationship; it has raised some red flags. And, Mr. Mikaelson, due to your exposure in the media, this has become a high profile case for us. As such, we must be very probing in our questioning. And while I don't relish making someone like Caroline uncomfortable, this is my job and I take it very seriously. So let's get back to it, shall we?"

Both Caroline and Klaus nodded.

"Now, Mr. Mikaelson, what have you doing to for the last seven years?"

"Mostly building my business. I got my MBA, began working at Mikaelson and Company, a subsidiary of Mikaelson Enterprises, grew the business, took it over and continued to grow it to what it is today," he replied, somewhat smugly.

"And romantically?" she asked, again, looking through her papers.

Klaus offered her his patent smirk. "I'm sure you can see from your file that I have had my fair share of casual romances."

"Why read the file when all I need to do is pick up Page Six to know you've had more than your fair share of romances?" she asked sarcastically.

"Seven years is a long time to wait."

"So that's what you were doing, other than working on your empire and engaging in a laundry list of short-term affairs? You were waiting for your chance with Ms. Forbes since first meeting her in London?" she asked. She was obviously incredulous that a man such as Klaus, infamous for his sordid romantic life, could harbor, much less maintain, any genuine feelings for so long.

Caroline sat mute, watching the slightly tense back and forth between the agent and Klaus.

"What can I say, Mrs. Hines, she made an impression," he clipped out.

"Love at first sight?" she asked with a small smirk.

"I would not call it love but I was certainly taken with her at first sight. I can distinctly recall the first time I set eyes upon her at the airport," he said with a small smile. "She was still half asleep, her hair knotted on top," he said gesturing to the top of his head. "I don't know how to describe it. She bewitched me… and from then, on, I was a man possessed," he finished, gazing at her every bit like a man in love.

Caroline had to will herself not to roll her eyes at his performance. It made the bile rise in her throat to hear him lie with such finesse. The ease with which his lies rolled off was pathological.

"And, Caroline, did you feel anything when you first met Klaus?

Caroline gazed down at Klaus's hand, which lay in her lap, fingers intertwined with her own before she looked back to the interviewer. "I loathed him," she replied with a smile.

"_Thanks, again, for driving me to the airport, man. I really appreciate it," Stefan said, looking over to the Brit._

"_Don't mention it. I have to say that it will be nice to finally meet the infamous Caroline Forbes you've talked about incessantly for the last few months," Klaus replied, turning into Heathrow._

"_What can I say? She's a cool girl and I think you're really going to like her. She's the happiest person you'll ever meet – always smiling and laughing. And she's fun. It's too bad you aren't going to be around to hang out."_

_Klaus let out a sigh, before he began, "It isn't of my own volition and I'm certainly not keen on spending yet another holiday stuck in the country with my family considering our Christmas traditions consist of awkward silences, bickering and tantrums. And that's the pleasant part!"_

_Stefan couldn't help but chuckle at his friend's dramatic description of his family dynamic. "They don't seem that bad," he said, only to receive a pointed look from Klaus. "But, you know, you're always welcome to hang out with us. It's Christmas Eve and, if I know Caroline, she's planned for the next two days to be packed full of all the Christmas cheer you could ever want. She's already warned me that the we'll be getting a tree today."_

"_A tree?" Klaus scoffed. "How in the bloody hell do you intend to fit a tree into that dorm room of yours? I don't know how you'll manage sleeping two people in that cell much less a bloody tree."_

"_I'm sure we'll just pick out some small, scraggly Charlie Brown tree no one else wants. Caroline will see it, feel sorry for it and demand that we give it a home," Stefan said, smiling._

_Klaus turned his eyes to his friend, registering the look of hard to conceal excitement on his friend's face. While the two had only met 3 months ago, Klaus quickly learned to read the younger man's expressions. Stefan moved to London for an exchange program and was assigned to an internship at the company Klaus was working at part-time while pursuing his MBA at LSE. The two met and immediately developed an easy rapport and a fast friendship. In a short period of time, Stefan had become Klaus's closest, if not only, true friend and the two spent hours talking about their families – the tension between Klaus and his parents, the constant competition Stefan experienced with his older brother; their goals – both men wanted to move beyond the shadows of their successful fathers; and their loves – Stefan recounted in great detail his recent break-up with Lexi and had somehow managed to get Klaus to divulge some detail on his ill-fated romance with Tatia. Klaus noted that there was always one constant in his deep conversations with Stefan, though – Caroline. He suspected that the man desired more than friendship from the girl but after witnessing the progressive show of unbridled giddiness at her impending arrival, Klaus was now sure that Stefan was smitten._

"_Speaking of your dorm room," he began, "what does Caroline's boyfriend think of the sleeping arrangements? I mean, I don't know how I would react if I knew my girlfriend was sharing such a small bed with another man. Unless she decided not to tell him about it."_

_Stefan looked ahead and gave a small shrug. "Knowing Caroline, she was completely forthcoming. And knowing Brady," he said pausing briefly, "he was probably pissed – the guy has a terrible temper. His family is pretty wealthy and his dad is a senator so he's pretty entitled. He and I have been friends for a while and even I think he can be a huge prick. He probably threw a fit, gave Caroline an ultimatum and she shut him down. It's kind of their thing."_

"_Does it bother you that Caroline is dating such prig?" Klaus asked, baiting him._

_Again, Stefan responded with a half-hearted shrug. "She's a big girl and can make her own decisions."_

"_Did you ever think to ask her out?"_

_Stefan gave Klaus an exasperated look, having been asked this question countless times before by others. _

"_What? I'm just asking. You talk about her constantly and go on about how smart she is and funny… I think it's an obvious question."_

"_I don't know. Maybe I thought about it once or twice when we first met but I was in a pretty bad place so it wouldn't have worked…"_

"_Ah, the adderall…," he said in understanding._

"_Yeah," Stefan said somberly, "I got so caught up trying to raise my GPA that I started taking the stuff like it was tik taks so I could study and get work done. I didn't even know Caroline that well but she was the one who realized I had a problem. And then she and Damon helped me get off of it. She called herself my sober sponsor. I couldn't have gotten through that semester without them. And by the time I would have been someone worth dating, she was already with Brady. And then I started seeing Lexi."_

"_Hmmm," Klaus mused, "perhaps she harbors some feelings for you. Have you considered that? I mean, she is spending the holidays with you and not him."_

_Stefan shook his head at his friend's persistence. "Absolutely not. Caroline and I are friends – period. She's spending the holidays with me because we planned it before they got serious and she isn't going back to Mystic Falls because Matt is staying with his girlfriend for Christmas." _

"_Matt?"_

"_Yeah, he's a friend of hers from high school. Like I told you before, Caroline lost her mom in a fire; she lost her house… everything. She doesn't have any family left and her dad is God knows where. She moved in with Matt at some point and still stays with him when she goes home. He's the quarterback at BC so I've met him – pretty cool guy."_

"_Doesn't she have any female friends she could have stayed with?"_

"_Yeah, she lived with two of her girlfriends briefly but both had stuff going on at home so she never stayed long. Matt had a free room and his family was never around so I guess it just worked out."_

"_Let me get this straight – Caroline has been living with Matt, is your roommate at Harvard and is currently living with your brother Damon while you're away?"_

"_Yep."_

"_Well, I think I can see why this Brady fellow might be a bit upset that she isn't spending the break with him. It seems she keeps company with every man except him."_

"_Dude, like I said we already made plans and Caroline is really excited to finally travel abroad for the first time. Plus, I don't think she really likes Brady's family…"_

_Klaus scoffed at Stefan's last statement. "A woman who doesn't like being invited to spend time with a wealthy, prominent family? I have to say that's surprising."_

"_Not everyone is Tatia," Stefan said, perturbed by the unspoken insinuation into his friend's character. _

"_Fortunately not," he said, cringing at the sound of that woman's name while sliding into a spot in the parking garage._

"_And Caroline doesn't care about that kind of stuff."_

_Klaus gave his friend a pitying look before responding, "Don't be a fool, Stefan. All woman care about 'that kind of stuff'."_

"_Well, you're about to meet the exception to the rule."_

"_Look out for her while I check to see if her flight arrived on time, ok?" Stefan asked before briskly walking towards one of the monitors at the far end of the arrivals area._

_Stefan was already out of earshot when Klaus suddenly realized he was missing some pertinent information. "I don't know what she looks like," he called out, even though he was sure of the futility of this attempt. "Blast," he cursed, as he watched the mass of people coming out from various flights. "How am I supposed to find this bloody girl?" he muttered, his eyes sifting through the group._

_He was about to leave to find Stefan when the crowd parted and he caught a sight that stilled him. Before him stood a girl, her blonde hair tied in a messy bun, dressed in an oversized sweatshirt and her face creased with the signs of sleep. She was stunning. Klaus was used to striking woman. Tatia was by far the most beautiful woman he had ever encountered – the structure of her face, her hair and her silhouette as close to perfection as one could imagine. But it was an obvious kind of beauty – it was almost forced upon you all at once. This girl, with a face clean of makeup, her eyes sleepy and hair worn without care – she struck him as the most fantastic thing he'd ever set eyes upon. _

_Perhaps it was the artist within him that was so taken with her and appreciated her subtle, nuanced beauty. It was sneaky in the way it crept up on you and Klaus was sure, as he watched her look around wearing a small, tentative smile, that if given the time, he would discover that there were more and more layers to it that would be unearthed with each new expression. From the straw colored hair to the cornflower blue irises; from the small but shapely rose pout to the glow of her ivory skin and pronounced cheekbones… Klaus wasn't sure what he was more tempted to do – run for his sketch pad or capture her in his arms and refuse to ever let her go. Perhaps he could begin with the latter and work back from there._

_Just as he mustered the nerve to go start towards her, she turned to him and graced him with a smile so joyful and full of sincerity that it nearly brought him to his knees. Genuine beauty. She began to walk to him and Klaus felt the sudden urge to run in the opposite direction, so overwhelmed was he by the sudden onslaught of emotion. But he didn't. Klaus willed himself forward to meet her half way when he saw her drop her bag from her shoulder and break into a run. He stopped, still not believing his luck when she suddenly opened her arms and practically leapt just past Klaus into Stefan's waiting embrace._

**So, I decided to break the London/Paris flashback into 2 parts because it's going to be monster. **

**And if anyone is interested n being my Beta, I think I could use one…**


End file.
